School environments & sick kids

[Guest guest]

Here are some links to recent articles about school environments as they affect health.

EDUCATION WORLD, 10/29/02.SICK SCHOOLS CREATE DILEMMAS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTShttp://www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues178.shtmlHEALTH AND HEALTH CARE IN SCHOOL, OCTOBER 2002. HOME-SICK OR SCHOOL-SICK: THE EFFECT OF A CHILD'S ENVIRONMENT ON HEALTH. http://www.healthinschools.org/ejournal/2002/oct02_2.htmPHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/11/02.SCHOOL RENOVATIONS CAN POSE HEALTH RISKS. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/4257701.htmTHE SARATOGIAN, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, 10/31/02.STUDENT PROTEST DRAWS CONCERN (Students protesting renovation hazards suspended)http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=5896399 & BRD=1169 & PAG=461 & dept

........Here are a few paragraphs from the first article:

Sick Schools Create Dilemma for School Districts

In this special report, Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World examines the dilemma sick schools create for school officials. The issues include disclosure, liability, identification, and funding remedies. Included: Steps school officials can take now to improve air quality. Note: This article is part of a five-part series originally published in June 2001. Links have been updated for this reposting of the article.

Sick schools often cause a dilemma for school officials. Many administrators, though experts in education, simply don't know how to go about identifying the culprit that is making the schools' children and staff ill. Though the most common health problems are not life threatening, illnesses such as upper respiratory illnesses, chronic headaches, stomachaches, and the exacerbation of asthma do interfere with learning and teaching. The causes of those common health afflictions are generally mold, fumes from cleaning agents and pesticides, and poor ventilation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The good news is that most of those causes can be easily and inexpensively corrected through regular maintenance. Other solutions -- such as repairing or replacing roofs and removing hazardous waste or mitigating the waste's effects -- are more costly. The most expensive solution is to close down an existing school and build a new school at another site.... (see first link above)

Forwarded from Healthy Schools Network by , Minn. Children's Health Environmental Network