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Austin School District Receives Award from EPA for Indoor Air Efforts

Release Date: 8/12/2002
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     Eanes Independent School District in Austin, Texas, is one of 21 schools and school districts from across the nation that received an award August 8 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for adopting EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) program.

     The award was presented to school district representatives at EPA's 3rd annual IAQ Tools for Schools National Symposium in Washington, D.C.  More than 500 health professionals and environmental experts from around the country attended the awards ceremony.

     "Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "The IAQ Tools for Schools program is a common-sense guide to help prevent and solve the majority of indoor air problems affecting many of our nation's schools."  

     Seven years ago, Eanes ISD received reports of poor air quality in certain schools. District staff relied on the IAQ TfS kit's problem-solving wheel to detect indoor air quality problems such as poor ventilation, water damage and foul odors.

     Eanes staff attended workshops and seminars addressing indoor air, which helped guide the formation of the district's Indoor Air Quality Management Program and Team. The Indoor Air Quality Team currently shares updates on the district's improvements via the internal staff newsletter and discusses issues during faculty and parent association meetings.  

     This past spring, Eanes ISD approved a $67 million bond issue to renovate schools and upgrade equipment and maintenance practices for better air quality and ventilation. The district continues to be proactive in addressing concerns and is committed to working with IAQ TfS to improve the condition of school facilities.

     The schools receiving the EPA Excellence awards used EPA's IAQ TfS kit to improve indoor air quality.  Children spend an average of eight hours a day in school. Pollutants inside classrooms and other indoor school facilities are often two to five times higher than outdoor levels and can trigger asthma attacks.  Asthma in young children has risen by nearly 60 percent in the last 15 years and is responsible for 10 million missed school days per year.  EPA's IAQ TfS program is a nationwide voluntary initiative to help school officials address indoor air quality problems and reduce exposure to asthma triggers in the classroom and other school facilities.

     Available to schools at no cost, the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools kit shows schools how to improve indoor air problems at little cost by using simple activities and existing school staff. For more information about this program, visit EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6pd/toolsforschools/tools4u.htm.