Tag: School Safety
Indoor Air Quality in Schools: Taking Action
Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014.
ASTHMA IS COMMON AMONG STUDENTS
Approximately 7 million children younger than 18 years of age in the United States have asthma.1
In a classroom of 30 students, about 3 currently have asthma.2 This rate may be higher in densely populated communities or among certain population groups. For instance, among African American children, 1 in 6 has asthma, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2001 to 2009.3 Among Puerto Rican children, 1 in 5 has asthma, more than double the rate among Hispanic children overall.4 Additionally, there may be students who have asthma but have not been diagnosed.
ASTHMA IS A LEADING CAUSE OF SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM
Studies have shown that many students who have asthma miss school because of their disease. Asthma can lead to absenteeism for a variety
of reasons, such as symptoms, doctor visits, hospitalizations, the need to avoid environmental triggers at school, and sleep deprivation due to nighttime asthma attacks.5 Nearly half of students who have asthma miss at least one day of school each year because of their disease.6 In 2008, on average, students missed 4 days of school because of asthma.7
- Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Bailey C, Zahran HS, King M, Johnson CA,
Liu X. Trends in asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality in the United States, 2001–2010. NCHS Data Brief No. 94. Hyattsville, MD: CDC; 2012. - CDC. Asthma and Schools [online]. Available from www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- CDC. Vital Signs: Asthma in the U.S. May 2011. Available from www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- National Health Interview Survey, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. National Health Interview Survey, 2010. Table 4-1. Available from www.cdc.gov/asthma/nhis/2010/table4-1.htm. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- Basch CE. Asthma and the achievement gap among urban minority youth.
J School Health 2011;81(10):606-13. Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00634.x/full. Accessed September 9, 2014. - CDC. Asthma’s Impact on the Nation. May 8, 2012. Available from www.cdc.gov/asthma/impacts_nation/asthmafactsheet.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- CDC. Vital Signs: Asthma in the U.S. May 2011. Available from www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- Cohen DE. Asthma and school functioning. Health Reports 2010;21(4). Available from www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2010004/article/ 11363-eng.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2014.
UNCONTROLLED ASTHMA CAN LEAD TO DECREASED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
When compared with students who do not have
a chronic condition, students who have asthma have decreased academic performance, according to standardized test scores and parental reports. More severe asthma is associated with poorer performance.8,9 Lower readiness scores were
found among kindergarteners who have asthma10; and entering school with asthma was found to be linked with lower reading scores after the first year.11 Effective management of asthma can eliminate potential challenges and obstacles to effective learning and academic success.12
ASTHMA CAN BE CONTROLLED— AND SCHOOLS CAN HELP
Through the use of well-coordinated asthma management programs, schools can play an effective role in helping students keep their asthma under control. Learn what your school can do to provide quality care for students who have asthma; be prepared to handle asthma emergencies; create an environment with fewer asthma triggers; and promote education and partnerships that support good asthma control.
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Coordinator’s Guide A Guide to Implementing an IAQ Program
EPA, 2009.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ Tools for Schools) Program to help schools assess and improve indoor air quality (IAQ). IAQ is becoming an increasingly important issue in our nation’s schools. Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population—nearly 56 million people—spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools. Good IAQ assists schools with their core mission—educating children. The background information and activities in this voluntary program are directed toward existing schools in the kindergarten through twelfth grade range, but colleges, universities, preschool, and day-care centers could benefit by applying the principles and activities presented.
HEALTHY CLEANING & ASTHMA-SAFER SCHOOLS A HOW-TO GUIDE
California Department of Public Health, 2014.
Reducing Environmental Exposures in Child Care Facilities: A Review of State Policy
Environmental Law Institute, 2015.
Early care and education programs play an important role in helping children reach their full potential in school and throughout their lives. Six million children under five years old receive care outside of their homes – about 30 percent of all children in this age group.1 The facilities that provide this care are numerous and diverse, including approximately 300,000 licensed child care centers and child care homes across the country.2 As the number of children in licensed child care has grown, so has public recognition of the importance of the child care setting to children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
This recognition has led to significant changes in standards of quality for licensed child care programs. Standards currently in place throughout the U.S. cover a wide array of elements for ensuring a healthy, safe, and enriching environment – from caregiver qualifications and program curriculum, to fire safety and nutrition. In recent years, facility standards for child care have begun to address exposure to environmental hazards as well. This shift reflects greater scientific knowledge of the potential harm to children’s health from exposure to environmental contaminants, as well as the availability of well-established facility operation and maintenance practices that can be put in place to help create healthier indoor environments.
The purpose of this report is to provide information to help states strengthen their laws, regulations, and programs to address indoor environmental contaminants in child care facilities. The report is designed for policymakers, agency officials, non-governmental organizations and associations, and others who work to promote quality child care and advance children’s health. The following chapters offer an overview of how policies currently address several key indoor environmental quality (IEQ) issues in licensed child care facilities. For each issue, the report highlights examples of policy strategies for states to consider, along with notable non-regulatory initiatives that are being implemented by state agencies.
Designing a Safe Campus
American School and University, 2016
Campus safety is a perennial concern for schools and universities, yet addressing campus safety is unique to each institution. Every campus faces its own set of safety challenges. A community college with a commuter enrollment often has expansive parking lots that require monitoring during regular class hours, for example, while a four-year residential college with diverse housing options will require 24/7 security measures.
Equipping School Leaders to Make the Most of Their Learning Environments
by T. R. Dunlap
Last week the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) had its annual conference in Kissimmee, Florida. Educational leaders from across the country gathered together at a beautiful resort for workshops on many topics facing public middle and high schools.
The event featured presenters who are on the cutting edge of educational research and administrative practice. Staff members from the Education Facilities Clearinghouse (EFC) were also in attendance. The EFC conducted a workshop on how school leaders can engage their communities by developing teams to conduct site assessments and to create emergency operations plans. These approaches to addressing school safety are critical. A number of the workshop attendees indicated that, as school administrators, they would make specific changes to their site assessment and emergency planning process as a result of the workshop. We at the EFC were very encouraged to know that these educational leaders will take steps to bolster the safety of their facilities and retool their operational planning for emergencies.
At this national conference, it was terrific to see school leaders gather together to address collaboratively the pressing issues schools encounter and to develop constructive ways to improve secondary education in this country. We must keep in mind how valuable organizations and conferences are to equip and enable leaders to do their jobs effectively. However, many school leaders cannot attend a professional conference or participate in a workshop with their peers. What resources are available for them? How can we ensure that all school leaders have the tools and resources available to make the most of their schools?
The EFC is here to help! We can come to your school. The EFC provides workshops for school leaders and staff at no cost. Learn more about the workshop opportunities we can provide your school for free.
At the recent national conference, many principals were curious about the free consulting services the EFC offers to improve public school facilities. The EFC works with schools across the United States to provide free technical assistance to make them a more safe, energy efficient, and clean space that fosters innovative teaching and learning. For more information on how the EFC can come to your school, watch this brief video.
Many school leaders identify facility needs as a top priority to improve the educational experience of their students. The mission of the EFC is to equip school leaders to make the most of their learning environments. The resources we provide to schools are indispensable. If you would like to discuss ways that we can help your school, contact the EFC today.
Assessing and Managing the Terrorism Threat
U.S. Department of Justice, 2005
The continuous threat of terrorism has thrust domestic preparedness obligations to the very top of the law enforcement agenda. For today’s law enforcement executive, the capacity to assess and manage risk is imperative. In the postSeptember 11 era, this capacity must be considered as much a staple of law enforcement operations as crime analysis, criminal intelligence, and crime prevention. The consequences of failing to assess and manage terrorist threats and risk could be incalculable.
Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide
Homeland Security, 2013
Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 201, Second Edition provides communities additional guidance for conducting a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). The First Edition of this Guide (April 2012) presented the basic steps of the THIRA process. Specifically, the First Edition described a standard process for identifying community specific threats and hazards and setting capability targets for each core capability identified in the National Preparedness Goal as required in Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 8: National Preparedness.
This Second Edition expands the THIRA process to include estimation of resources needed to meet the capability targets. The Second Edition also reflects other changes to the THIRA process based on stakeholder feedback, such as streamlining the number of steps to conduct a THIRA and providing additional examples. Where appropriate, this Guide highlights key changes from the First Edition of CPG 201. This Second Edition supersedes the First Edition of CPG 201.
