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SCHOOLS AWARDED FOR HEALTHY INDOOR AIR

Release Date: 08/09/2001
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Also Available in Spanish: "Escuelas Premiadas Por Buena Calidad de Aire Dentro de Espacios Cerrados"

Environmental News

For the second year, awards will be given to 19 schools around the country for adopting programs to improve indoor air quality in their buildings. These awards will be presented at EPA’s 2nd Annual Tools for Schools National Symposium. This symposium brings school officials, nurses, teachers, facility managers, parents and others together to raise awareness about indoor air quality and the potential negative effect poor indoor air quality can have on our children’s health.

“Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment. The 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”, said Administrator Christie Whitman. “We hope more schools across the country will be encouraged to participate in this valuable program.”

Children spend an average of eight hours a day in school. Pollutants inside classrooms and other indoor school facilities are often 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels and can trigger asthma attacks. Asthma in young children has risen by nearly sixty percent in the last fifteen years and is responsible for 10 million missed school days per year.

The schools receiving these awards used EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools kit to improve air quality. EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program is a nationwide initiative to help school officials address indoor air quality problems and reduce exposure to asthma triggers in the classroom and other school facilities. This 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: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/ on EPA’s web site or call 1-800-438-4318 and ask for the Tools for Schools Road Map.

More than 360 health professionals and environmental experts from around the country will attend this award ceremony on Thursday, August 9 from 6p.m.to 8 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, D.C. At this event, EPA will honor thirteen schools and school districts with the prestigious annual Excellence Awards and six schools with Special Achievement Awards for creating a healthier environment for students and staff.

The award winners are: Nashua School District, SAU#42, Nashua, N.H.; North Country Union High School, Newport, Vt.; Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team, Hartford, Conn.; Chicopee Public Schools, Chicopee, Mass.; Little Harbour School, Portsmouth School District, Portsmouth, N.H.; West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, Plainsboro, N.J.; Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Md.; West Virginia Department of Education, Charleston, W.Va.; Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, Savannah, Ga.; Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, Fla.; St. Cloud Area School District 742, St. Cloud Minn.; Naperville Community Unit School District 203, Naperville, Ill.; Ft. Bend Independent School District, Stafford, Texas; Scott Middle School, Lincoln, Neb.; St. Mary=s Central High School, Bismarck, N.D.; Jefferson County R-1 School District, Lakewood, Colo.; Visalia Unified School District, Visalia, Calif.; Educational Service District 101 - Washington State, Spokane, Wash.; Everett School District #2, Everett, Wash.

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