Teachers

Recent data suggest that poor indoor air quality may directly reduce a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory. The evidence is increasing in studies of both schools and other settings that indoor pollution or inadequate ventilation can decrease student and teacher performance.

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools, including pollutant control and adequate ventilation, appears to improve student and teacher health, increases school attendance, and therefore improves student performance.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science Advisory Board consistently rank indoor air pollution among the top five environmental health risks. According to he EPA, IAQ levels of pollution may be two to five times and sometimes more than 100 times higher than the outdoor levels. The costs of poor IAQ related to sick building syndrome and asthma may be as high as $20 billion including productivity loses.

Research has shown that poor IAQ plays a strong role in triggering asthma episodes. This is a major problem in schools because more than 6 million children have asthma. Children with asthma miss more than 14 million school days each year, affecting their learning and school performance.

School nurses and classroom teachers are working collaboratively with the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety to implement a nationally recognized indoor air quality program called Tools for Schools. School teams work together to assess indoor air quality conditions in each classroom, identify any problems, and develop plans to resolve them. The goals are to optimize the performances of students and teachers in the classroom and to increase student attendance and performance at school.

If you would like this program at your school please contact Susan LaCombe at District Nursing--213-763-8374. A special grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will pay a $250 stipend for each site leader upon completion of the program.