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2006 Excellence Award Winners

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IAQ TfS Award Winners

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Envisioning Excellence presents the Framework for Effective School IAQ Programs: Six Key Drivers -- guidelines that detail the organizational approaches and practices that are fundamental to school IAQ program success -- and presents five profiles to demonstrate how different school districts applied the Framework to create enduring IAQ programs. Learn more about this exciting tool.

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National Leaders in Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools

Special Achievement Award Winners

In Recognition of Outstanding Commitment to a Healthy School Environment

Model of Sustained Excellence Award Winners

Excellence Award Winners

Amity Regional School District No. 5, Woodbridge, CT

In 2001 and 2002, mold problems forced the closure of the Amity High School auditorium, parents threatened to pull their children out of school.  This crisis prompted rapid turnover in the school administration.  In 2004, the Board of Education adopted a goal to establish and maintain the healthiest indoor air quality (IAQ) possible.  In 2005, the district hired a new Director of Finance and Administration with a track record of successful implementation of a district-wide indoor air quality management program.  Later that year, the finance director-- with senior management support-- implemented an IAQ TfS program.  Each school in the district nows has an IAQ committee that includes interested stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, the head custodian, the nurse, support staff, and parents. The district developed standard operating procedures for responding to IAQ complaints, which are filed through an online work request system or IAQ survey. The IAQ team, a subgroup of the IAQ committee, investigates complaints and the team informs stakeholders of all steps taken. This emphasis on communication and responsiveness has helped to rebuild trust lost during the initial IAQ crises. A recent survey showed renewed satisfaction with the response to IAQ problems and a decrease in IAQ complaints from 49 in 2002-2003 to 3 in 2005-2006. Across the district, school nurse visits related to asthma, a condition which can be exacerbated by poor IAQ, decreased from 234 in 2002-2003 to 30 in 2005-2006.

Omaha Public Schools, Omaha, NE

The Omaha Public Schools (OPS) launched a system-wide IAQ TfS program in 2005, with the assistance of the Omaha Asthma Alliance and the Douglas County Health Department.  Spurred by concern about asthma-related deaths in the district, OPS used the American Lung Association’s Open Airways for Schools Program to educate students on asthma care techniques.  OPS also established a proactive protocol for the administration of asthma medication in emergency situations.  

The OPS IAQ program focuses on early detection and resolution of air quality issues.  The IAQ coordinator conducts building walkthroughs, analyzes data collected during IAQ investigations, maintains IAQ profiles for each building, coordinates the resolution of each IAQ complaint, and reports results of walkthroughs to principals.  IAQ walkthroughs, modified from a checklist in the IAQ TfS Action Kit, include comprehensive inspection of the air handling unit in each room and data collection on CO2, CO, temperature, and relative humidity.  The coordinator also works with senior management to ensure IAQ and sustainable design guidelines are incorporated into renovation and new construction projects.   Building engineers and custodial staff receive annual IAQ training with updates provided in a monthly newsletter.  Additionally, OPS acts as a responsible environmental steward by integrating waste and chemical management activities into OPS operations and shifting the school bus fleet to lower emission technology.

Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR

Portland Public Schools (PPS) began using elements of the IAQ TfS program in 1998 and fully implemented TfS after one of PPS’ middle schools was closed in 2002 due to radon and mold problems.  PPS established a centralized indoor air quality (IAQ) program, focusing on informing staff about available IAQ services, developing a sophisticated IAQ management information system and a standard procedure for responding to IAQ events, ensuring that parents or teachers who file IAQ complaints are informed of the resolution of the problem. PPS recorded a 43 percent decrease in the number of IAQ complaints from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006, and despite reductions to the facilities budget, PPS continues to prioritize all IAQ-related repairs.  This institutional commitment ensures that IAQ repairs are addressed within five days. To regain community and staff trust and broaden awareness of IAQ, the health and safety department uses the school safety committee as the “hub” for IAQ management activities.  Now, many schools safety committees conduct IAQ walkthroughs each quarter. PPS actively promotes its IAQ program’s services, gives presentations on IAQ at teacher union meetings and school safety committee meetings, and has developed an online IAQ handbook.

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Model of Sustained Excellence Award Winners

Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, KY

The goals of the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) IAQ TfS program are to improve education and test scores, encourages teamwork and effective communication, and to reduce triggers for asthma and allergies.  JCPS works toward these goals through streamlined communication, rapid indoor air quality (IAQ) investigation, follow-up resolution of causes, preventative maintenance, housekeeping standards, IAQ training, and tracking programs.  For example, two teams of safety and maintenance foreman and directors conduct walkthrough inspections in three schools each week.  Quality control maintenance inspectors review the status of maintenance projects.  The district’s safety, environmental, and housekeeping department holds an annual Summer Institute, which includes IAQ and chemical safety issues, to train over 700 district custodians.  The housekeeping program evaluates each school and facility three times a year to ensure district cleanliness standards are maintained.  Evaluators have included retired principles and plant operators.  The schools receive a “cleanliness score” and receive a district ranking with annual incentive awards given to top finishers.  The facilities/transportation department compiles an annual Quality Indicator Report for the Superintendent's review that includes numbers of IAQ concerns, repair costs, programs to address the concerns, environmental initiatives, and chemical safety progress. Repairs resulting from the investigation of IAQ concerns are scheduled as soon as practicable and major repairs are prioritized for summer renovation.  Constant improvements in the IAQ program and response coordination have resulted in the number of IAQ complaints decreasing from 150 in 2000-2001 to 30 in 2005-2006.  JCPS was IAQ TfS Award Winner in 2002.

Saugus Union School District, Santa Clarita, CA

In 1999, Saugus Union School District (SUSD) implemented an IAQ TfS program. SUSD incorporated the IAQ TfS program into its environmental safety policy. The IAQ TfS program operates under the umbrella of the district’s safety and risk management department and is run by teachers with the full support of the superintendent, district administration, facilities personnel and the school board. SUSD appointed a teacher to be district indoor air quality (IAQ) coordinator, and teachers at each school elect a colleague to be health and safety/IAQ coordinator each year. The district coordinator sets the schedule for training, walkthroughs, and other steps in the IAQ program. The school IAQ coordinator provides an IAQ TfS walkthrough checklist and in-service IAQ training to all school staff, prioritizes IAQ projects, and files work orders. Twice a year, each school’s IAQ committee -- which is typically comprised of teachers, the head custodian, the principal and interested parents -- conducts walkthroughs and administers an IAQ-related staff survey. Each school maintains an IAQ file of IAQ data from the current and previous year that is available to parents and community members. In 2002, the district created a safety and risk management department to better manage the IAQ TfS program and standardize procedures for school IAQ coordinators. SUSD reports that, as a result of the IAQ TfS program, asthma-related visits to the school nurse are now rare. SUSD was an IAQ TfS Excellence Award winner in 2000.

Visalia Unified School District, Visalia, CA

Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) has incorporated indoor air quality (IAQ) best practices into every aspect of its operation. School board regulations require the superintendent to implement an IAQ program and to follow specific guidance on air quality, integrated pest management, lead exposure reduction, and asbestos management. VUSD has integrated IAQ TfS in concert with other facilities assessment programs such as the Coalition for High Performance Schools Program and considers IAQ in all purchasing decisions. The district works actively with local architects and designers, as well as state offices of construction and education, to help them incorporate IAQ considerations into their designs. VUSD actively communicates with its stakeholders and provides annual IAQ training for new site coordinators, maintenance and custodial staff.  Each year, the IAQ coordinator and other staff inspect each school, sharing what they find during staff meetings and educating teachers and other staff about steps they can take to ensure good IAQ.  Issues that are discovered are dealt with in a proactive manner to minimize disruption to the educational process.  This ensures a strong link between assessment and reporting activities and maintenance, grounds and custodial department work.  Students are also involved; two schools have established student-run IAQ clubs.  Because VUSD is located in an agricultural community, the district also works with local farmers and the agricultural commission office to obtain notification of spraying, harvesting, and plowing activities.  VUSD mentors other school districts and is a member of several local IAQ-asthma coalitions. VUSD was an IAQ TfS Excellence Award winner in 2001.

Westborough School District, Westborough, MA

Since winning EPA’s IAQ TfS Excellence Award in 2003, Westborough School District has continued to refine its IAQ TfS program in response to requests and suggestions from staff throughout the district.  The responsibilities of the district indoor air quality (IAQ) coordinator, who is also the assistant superintendent, now include oversight of modifications to the maintenance program, as well as compilation, prioritization, and distribution of a list of needed IAQ repairs. In 2003, Westborough renamed the district IAQ committee the “facilities committee” to reflect the integrated nature of IAQ and facility maintenance and added members from each school’s health and safety team.  This change improves communication among schools, between schools and the administration, and facilitates discussions of problems and solutions. In addition, the facilities committee, which meets three times a year, holds meetings at a different school each time, enabling committee members to view IAQ problems firsthand. These meetings are open to the public and foster trust and honesty between parents, staff and district administration officials.  At the school level, all teachers complete an IAQ checklist for their classrooms in the fall and spring. In the spring, teachers receive a copy of the previously submitted checklist so they can note any changes without having to completely reassess the room.  Each school’s health and safety team completes a report twice a year. These refinements have resulted in additional improvements in student health.  In the past two years, no staff, parent or student has submitted an IAQ-related health symptom report to a school nurse.

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Special Achievement Award Winners

Don Ray, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville, TN

Don Ray of the Tennessee (TN) Department of Environment and Conservation’s Air Quality Division -- through his effective collaboration with local and state health and education departments-- is being recognized for his efforts to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in Tennessee schools.  Since 2003, he has regularly organized regional semi-annual IAQ workshops for schools' administrators, teachers, nurses, and facility personnel.  Don’s unflagging support and tenacious school outreach efforts have contributed to the increased use of EPA’s IAQ TfS Action Kit.  According to a recent School Health Initiatives survey conducted by the TN Department of Education, 800 of the 1,693 Tennessee schools have used the Kit. This represents an increase of 100 new schools.

Art Henderlong, UniServ Consultant, Indiana State Teachers Association, Merrillville, IN

Art Henderlong is being recognized for his leadership in improving the indoor air quality (IAQ) of Indiana public schools.  Art has been instrumental in ensuring that the environment in Indiana’s schools is conducive to teaching and learning.  Art has been involved in educating students for more than twenty years -- first as a high-school science teacher and now as a nationally recognized advocate for children and good IAQ in schools.  Art’s work stresses the importance of collaboration with local, state and national agencies to foster action.  In his current position as a UniServ Director for the Indiana State Teachers Association, Art represents seven school districts, 43 schools and 1,300 members across the state.  At the state level, Art has forged partnerships with EPA Region 5, the Indiana Department of Environmental Protection, and other agencies that have helped raise awareness and supported action through education, trainings and other outreach efforts.

Beverly Stewart, American Lung Association of Oregon, Tigard, OR,
James Sundell, UniServe Consultant, Oregon Education Association, Albany, OR
Jim Terhune, Oregon Department of Education, Salem, OR

These three individuals are true environmental champions in their state.  Together they launched the Oregon Partnership for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Schools-- a statewide grassroots working group committed to improving IAQ in all Oregon schools through the adoption of IAQ management programs.  They provide expert technical support, education and training to Oregon schools.  In one year, the Oregon Partnership for Indoor Air Quality in Schools has provided in-depth training to nearly 70 school districts and is assisting them with school walkthroughs.  Through creativity, innovation, and determination, the Partnership is helping to change attitudes in Oregon about the importance of healthy IAQ in schools.

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