Boston City Council Order for hearing on school repairs and health

[Guest guest]

Offered by Councillors F. Flaherty and Chuck

CITY OF BOSTON

IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND NINE

AN ORDER FOR A HEARING TO DISCUSS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANNUAL SCHOOL

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITS IN HELPING THE CITY IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE NEEDED SCHOOL

REPAIRS

Whereas: Equal opportunity for success in the classroom demands that the

City of Boston provide all students with a healthy and productive learning

environment; and

Whereas: A 2006 study conducted by the Massachusetts Coalition of

Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) and the Boston Urban Asthma Coalition

found

that Boston Public School buildings with higher occurrences of asthma

triggers such as leaks, mold and pests also reported higher asthma rates among

students; and

Whereas: The city conducts school environmental audits at each Boston

Public School building which details the occurrences of asthma triggers and

repairs needed at each facility to provide all students with healthy

classrooms;

and

Whereas: As stipulated by a 2006 city ordinance, a report about these

school environmental audits is supposed to be submitted to the City Council for

a

public hearing on or before March 1 – before the School Department submits

its proposed budget – in order to help city officials make informed spending

decisions about school repairs; and

Whereas: While hard data from the school environmental audits is submitted

each year around March 1, the report does not provide a detailed analysis of

the findings or link them to student asthma rates in a manner that would

present school officials with an understanding of the health risks posed by

particular repair needs; and

Whereas: The reports are not discussed at a public hearing where students,

teachers and parents would have the opportunity to provide additional

information about the health of their schools; and

Whereas: Without knowing the full scope of school repair needs, school

administrators cannot make truly informed spending decisions; and

Whereas: The School Department also lacks a mechanism to prioritize

spending needs in a way that considers the student health risks posed by each

repair

need; and

Whereas: Lower-income and minority students are already more susceptible to

asthma, a condition the National Center for Health Statistics maintains is

the leading cause of school absenteeism; and

Whereas: High absentee rates inevitably compromise students’ academic

performance and underscore the correlation between health disparities and gaps

in

school readiness; and

Whereas: A system for addressing needed school repairs that is efficient,

comprehensive and places a higher priority on removing asthma triggers in our

public schools will help the city make smarter and more responsible spending

decisions with its scarce school dollars while addressing health disparities

and closing the achievement gap at the same time, THEREFORE BE IT

ORDERED: That the appropriate committee of the Boston City Council

thoroughly examine the city’s process for reporting school environmental

audits and

using the findings to help identify and prioritize spending for facilities

maintenance and capital repair projects.

Filed in the City Council: March 3, 2009

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