How's Your School's Air Quality?

September 8, 2022

It’s back-to-school season for many kids and adults across the U.S. If you’re a parent of school-aged children, you may have shopped for notebooks, pencils, and new clothes. If you’re a teacher, you have probably been busy getting your classroom set up. And if you’re an educator or work in a school, you have been working hard to welcome students back.

As teachers, staff, and students all get ready to head back to the classroom, it’s also important to ensure that our schools welcome these important people back into a healthy learning environment.

Indoor air quality has become a hot topic over the last two years. Reducing the airborne transmission of COVID-19 has increased focus on the importance of ventilation in schools. Many schools have added portable air cleaners or have chosen to leave classroom windows open to increase air flow and prevent the spread of Coronavirus. To help schools and other buildings further improve ventilation and indoor air quality, EPA recently launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge -- a set of best practices designed to assist building operators in reducing risks from indoor airborne viruses and other contaminants.

Approximately seven million children in the U.S. (about one out of every 10 school-aged children) have asthma. With more than 10.5 million missed school days per year, asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism. EPA is focused on reducing pollution for communities across the country – We have proposed stronger standards for heavy-duty trucks, which will result in 18,000 fewer cases of asthma onset in children. We also have resources available for schools to improve air quality inside schools, and outside buildings to reduce asthma triggers.

• Check out EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools for ways to improve indoor air quality in your school.
• Learn how schools located near busy roadways can reduce pollution exposure.

EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program is giving schools $5 billion over the next five years to replace existing diesel school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. This program will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will also reduce pollution that’s harmful to kids’ health.

While health benefits of good air quality are the most important, well-implemented indoor air quality solutions can also result in cost-savings for schools. In addition, programs that promote healthy air quality can increase students’ ability to learn – schools that have implemented indoor air quality programs have shown improved test scores and increased adult productivity. Good air quality is an important component of healthy, high performing students and critical to a healthy learning environment.

For more information on air quality at schools, check out these resources from the White House on preventing COVID-19 in schools. You can also visit EPA's Healthy School Environments website for additional resources.

About the Author

Jeanne Briskin
Director
Office of Children's Health Protection

Jeanne brings a wealth of experience and expertise to children's health, having worked in many programs across the agency, including as director of the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center in the Office of General Counsel, ORD, OW and OAR.

Jeanne holds a BA in Chemistry and Environmental Studies from Northwestern University and a MS in Technology and Policy from MIT.