Better Air, Better Student Performance: Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools from EPA
Our children spend a lot of time at school. Multiple studies have shown a direct correlation between the learning environment and student behavior. Poorly maintained school facilities with run-down buildings, broken windows, etc., lead to disorderly conduct in students, affect their ability to concentrate and learn, affect teachers, pose health risks, and reduce overall community satisfaction.
One environmental factor that can affect the performance and health of students and staff alike is indoor air quality (IAQ). Maintaining an acceptable IAQ in schools can be a difficult task. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched a mobile app to assist schools and school districts with performing comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) facility assessments.
The School IAQ Assessment mobile app is a “one-stop shop” for accessing guidance from EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit. You can download the app for Android devices from Google Play and for Apple devices from iTunes.
The mobile app offers schools and school districts strategies for addressing critical building-related environmental health issues such as ventilation, cleaning and maintenance, environmental asthma triggers, radon, and integrated pest management. Categorized as a utility, the app downloads in under a minute and is easy to use.
You can use the app to:
- Access the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit
- Complete 11 IAQ assessment checklists organized by school area
- Submit completed checklist assessment forms to a designated IAQ coordinator for tracking purposes
- Attach pictures and add notes about IAQ problem areas to include with completed checklists.
The app helps schools that have adopted IAQ management programs carry out their tasks. It also helps all schools conduct the regular and thorough assessments that ensure their schools are safe and productive places to learn.
