Back In School! What About the Indoor Air Quality There? Part 2
In our last post we discussed many of the reasons that indoor air quality is important in our schools. As stated we are now going to go further into what can be done to ensure that our schools maintain quality indoor air.
The EPA is very helpful in this area. It’s as if they really do actually care about the air our students, faculty and staff are breathing. In 2014 there was a survey taken by the National Center for Educations Statistics that discovered that the average age of our nations schools was 55, meaning they were built around 1959. As you can imagine the standards for indoor air quality since that time have increased dramatically. You can also imagine that a great deal of our buildings are in need of improvement.
That being said, where do we start to make sure our kids are breathing the best air possible in their schools? The first thing to do is to find out if your schools is even concerned with the indoor air quality. Ask the question. Once you’ve gathered that information, get involved. Particularly if your child has allergies or is asthmatic this should be of concern to you. Being vocal and wanting to be part of a solution or action plan is a great way to be involved in your local school and care for your child. The EPA has many valuable resources including an IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit that can give you helpful information to get you started. Educating ourselves, our students our teachers and administrators will go a long way in helping improve the air quality. Of course, that’s just one place to look. I’m quite sure that there are many other valuable resources out there.
Bottom line is we all want the best possible air quality in our children’s schools. The ways in which it can positively affect them are many. Improving the air quality in our schools can have a positive impact on test scores, retention, attendance, teacher satisfaction and retention and even the overall energy efficiency of the building.
Of course, there is a lot that goes into achieving and maintaining high quality indoor air. However, addressing the issue is the first step. If you are thinking about it take the next step and ask the pertinent questions.
Here’s to better breathing for our kids at school!
Source: https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/take-action-improve-indoor-air-quality-schools