Students, teachers, and administrators should have access to a safe, healthy, clean, and comfortable school that is conducive to learning. A school’s physical environment covers a wide range of issues from indoor air quality, safe drinking water, to cleaning products, some of which are mandated by federal and local laws, such as the DC Healthy Schools Act. Communicating to parents and staff the environmental health of your school will provide a sense of accountability, inspire change, and celebrate accomplishments.
When a school environment is unhealthy, students may be exposed to harmful pollutants and chemicals that may cause their health, attendance, and academic performance to suffer. This focus area is about creating a healthy physical environment at the school. Environmental health is a broad topic and covers many areas including cleaning and maintenance, mold and moisture, chemical and environmental contaminant hazards, ventilation, and pests and pesticides. Poor environmental health can impact student learning and staff performance.
Lesson Plans: Consider utilizing one or more of the following curricula resources to teach about your school’s physical environment.
Indoor Air Quality
- EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools action kit
- Taming the Toxic Beast: Easy Ways to Make your Own Cleaning Products
Water Quality
- Water Filtration Project and Make your Own Filter (Grades 3-8)
- Water Quality and Wastewater Management (Grades 9-12)
- Forests to Faucets Geoinquiry (Grades 9-12)
Student Audits and Actions: Consider utilizing one or more of the following resources to encourage student action to enhance the physical environment at your school.
Indoor Air Quality
- Eco-Schools Healthy Schools audits for indoor air quality, mold, and pest management
- Project Learning Tree Environmental Quality Investigation (register for free download for Early Childhood and All Grades)
Water Quality
- Eco-Schools Water audits (follow link to Conduct an Environmental Audit for Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-9, and 9-12)
- Project Learning Tree Water Investigation (register for free download for Early Childhood and All Grades)
- Water Access in Schools Tool Kit
Celebratory Events: Consider bringing awareness to your school’s Physical Environment initiatives by celebrating these national/international awareness days at your school.
- National Healthy School Day: first week in April
Teacher Resources: Consider taking advantage of the following resources to address Physical Environment at your school.
Indoor Air Quality
- DC Healthy Schools Act, subsection for Environmental Programs Office includes requirements around indoor air quality and green cleaning
- Multiyear Facilities Master Plan includes requirements for carbon monoxide detectors and reporting
- Eco-Schools Healthy Schools pathway
- CDC Air Quality information
- Trends in indoor air quality and their effects on human health (EPA)
- Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit
- Green Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit
- Safer Cleaning Safer Choice Standard (EPA)
Water Quality
- DC Healthy Schools Act, subsection for Prevention of Lead in Drinking Water, and the Childhood Lead Exposure Prevention Amendment Act of 2017 includes requirements for drinking water testing and publishing results
- Eco-Schools Water pathway
- DC Water Blue Plains Tour (Grades 6-12, tour varies based on student age)
- Field trips to the Washington Aqueduct or McMillan Reservoir Historic District
- DC Water: background information on the District’s drinking water, distribution system, and water towers at St. Elizabeth’s
- DC Water: Lead FAQs and Checking for Lead Service Lines – historical records (read disclaimer before using)
- Department of General Services water filtration and testing protocol, DCPS Policy for Water Testing, and Water Sampling Results for DCPS
- Increasing Access to Drinking Water in Schools Toolkit plus Diagram of Water Testing Process in Schools
- Water on Tap: What You Need to Know
- Forests 2 Faucets: Connecting Forests, Water, and Communities
Contacts: Consider reaching out to the following contacts for questions regarding your school’s physical environment.
- School Custodial Team/Building Engineer: To learn more about the maintenance of the school’s physical environment contact your school’s Custodial Foreman. The building engineer may also be able to provide additional information.
Capital LEAF Links: