How to Get Tools for Schools Started in Your School District
The First Step:
The first step is to arrange for a member of the CT School Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT) to present the program at a school administration executive staff meeting. This meeting should include the superintendent, school principals, the school facilities director, the school business manager and if appropriate, the supervisor of school nurses. The purpose of this presentation is to outline the benefits of the TfS program, relate the resources of CSIERT, answer questions, and discuss the implementation process. After several years of experience, we have found that this meeting is essential to successful implementation of the Tools for Schools program. We have found that it is very important to make sure all executive staff are knowledgeable about TfS, and are “on board” with the program.
After making the decision to implement the TfS program, the first step is to choose which schools will begin the program. We require that your school system establish TfS building teams in every school. If your school district is smaller (3 to 7 schools), we suggest you implement the program in all the schools simultaneously. If you have a larger school system, you may want to schedule a smaller group of schools, then the others at a later time.
School Responsibilities and Expectations:
Once the school district makes a commitment to implementing TfS, the next step is to recruit building teams in each of the schools, including a coordinator (or co-coordinator) for each committee. The coordinator may be the person who recruits the rest of the building teams in the individual schools. The most successful teams consist of 5 to 6 persons: school principal or other administrative staff, school nurse, a teacher, custodial staff, a concerned parent, and possibly a student on the high school TfS committee. The Resource Team encourages the local health department to be involved in the building team as well. It should be noted that since the teachers’ unions are part of the Resource Team, it is important to be in contact with the local affiliate when choosing the teacher representatives. Also, we suggest contacting the local PTA council. Ideally, the building team should meet roughly once a month throughout the school year, including training time.
Once the building teams have been recruited, the next item is to schedule training. Adequate training is perhaps the most important part of ensuring success for TfS, and therefore the school should offer strong support. CSIERT has developed a two session training program. The first training session covers the basics of school indoor air quality, how to use the TfS kit, and developing a plan to get started. This session lasts 3 hours. After this session, the committees begin the assessment process, utilizing the checklists in the kit. After the building teams have collected and summarized the checklists (usually about 2 months), the second training session should be conducted. This is a 2-hour workshop led by one of our industrial hygienists on conducting walkthroughs. The outline on the other page provides an overview of the whole TfS “cycle” which we recommend conducting on a yearly basis. After the first session has occurred, the committees should distribute the checklists (part of the kit) and begin communicating to the school community about TfS and the committee’s work. After the second training, the committees will conduct a walk-though to investigate potential IAQ problems. The committees will continue to meet and work to identify, prioritize and facilitate remediation of IAQ problems. CSIERT will be available on a consulting basis for assistance.
Overall, the time commitment for school building team members will include approximately 2-hour monthly meetings. As this program should be ongoing, it is probably a good idea to have committee members rotate out on a yearly basis.
CSIERT Resources:
As noted above, several CT agencies and organizations, along with EPA Region 1 have formed the CSIERT to assist schools. The committee includes public health professionals with IAQ expertise, industrial hygienists, and trainers. A two part-training program has been developed to train the committee to:
- collect and analyze potential IAQ problems using the kit;
- understand and evaluate ventilation systems;
- conduct site walk-throughs;
- develop and prioritize IAQ solutions; and
- communicate effectively with the school community.
Please contact Kenny Foscue at the CT Department of Public Health (860-509-7742) to find out more and to begin the process of implementing the EPA Tools for Schools program.