The Spring 2003 issue of School Governance & Leadership covers asthma, indoor air quality, asthma management, policies and procedures in schools, and liability and litigation issues.
New
York State School Facilities and Student Health, Achievement, and
Attendance: A Data Analysis Report, November, 2005. Healthy Schools
Network, www.healthyschools.org
"Who's Sick at School: Linking Poor School Conditions and Health Disparities For Boston's Children." 03/06/06 www.masscosh.org
High Performance Kids in High Performance Schools v 2009
Are you advocating for policies to clear school air of fragrances?
Fragrance-free policies can lead to healthy breathing and high performance at school.
You can make the connection between healthy air and high performance at school. You know that common asthma triggers such as
fragrances, air fresheners, pesticides, solvents, mold and the whole brew of
cleaning chemicals and hazardous aerosols cause a wide range of health and
learning difficulties for everyone.
You know that, at home and at school, alone or in combination, all of
these irritants, allergens and poisons cause headaches, difficulty breathing, dizziness, irritability, rashes, sinus infections,
immune system disorders, and poor attention, concentration and
coordination and worse. Many are regulated in the industrial workplace
but not in schools and offices.
You are not alone. There are many other school officials, school nurses, health educators, asthma
educators and parents who share your values and health protection goals.
You can link
to national awareness campaigns for asthma, lung health, injury and
burn prevention, fire safety, fitness, high performance schools,
pollution prevention, environmental health, chemical clean outs, health
education, wellness, and healthy schools.
You can join local and national groups to find allies and experienced advocates especially on annual days, weeks, and
months designed to promote health and safety. These campaigns often
provide free lesson plans and other educational tools and resources
online.
Inhalant Hazards Awareness Week, National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, www.inhalants.org
March 18 is the anniversary of the 1937 Texas School Explosion.
It is a day to promote citizen awareness and responsible leadership to
protect children from hazards in schools. The 1937 Texas story needs
to be part of our national legacy because today, more than 74 years
later, the decision-making that led to the 1937 explosion is the same
type of decision-making that leaves dangerous old explosives and other
hazards in today's classrooms, labs, closets and storerooms. Too many
other safety code violations are routinely ignored. See: What Can
I Do? at Lessons
of the 1937 Texas School Explosion (http://lessonsofthe1937texasschoolexplosion.blogspot.com/)
April
National Public Health Week, The American Public Health Association, www.apha.org
School Building Week, CEFPI Foundation & Charitable Trust, www.cefpi.org
May
North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, The American Society of Safety Engineers, www.naosh.org
World Asthma Day, Global Initiative for Asthma, GINA, www.ginasthma.com
Asthma Awareness Month, (US EPA, ); "Breathe At School Headquarters," www.epa.gov; Allergy & Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics www.aanma.org, American Lung Association, www.lungusa.org, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, www. AAFA.org
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, (President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports).
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Awareness Month, (International MCS Awareness), www.ciin.org, mcs-america.org
National Employee Health and Fitness Day, National Association for Health and Fitness, www.physicalfitness.org
For
other ideas for linking to health and safety awareness campaign days,
weeks, and months contact me, Ellie Goldberg,
The world endures solely by virtue of the breath of school
children. (Talmud)
