294070
U.s. environmental protection agency's voluntary guidelines and state grants to promote healthy school environments
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
: 9:10 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Jackie Mosby, MPH,
Office of Children's Health Protection, US Environmental Prorection Agency, Washington, DC
Approximately 50 million public school students spend a significant portion of their day in school buildings. When school environments are unhealthy, these children may be exposed to harmful pollutants and chemicals that can cause their concentration, academic performance, and health to suffer. In response to a congressional mandate under Section 504 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed voluntary guidelines that identify actions all levels of government can take to protect and better serve children in school environments. This presentation will: 1) explain how these guidelines can be a valuable resource to states, local education authorities, and school communities when making school siting decisions or when implementing school environmental health programs; 2) demonstrate how EPA's new guidelines and related state grants help promote healthy school environments nationwide(grantees: Connecticut Department of Health, New York State Department of Health, Ohio Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Health and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction); 3) help participants understand the critical role that placed-based solutions play in reducing health disparities in underserved communities. Participants will also learn more about these and other EPA efforts to prevent exposures to environmental hazards in schools.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate how EPA’s voluntary school guidelines can help minimize exposures to environmental hazards in school settings; Learn how EPA’s voluntary school guidelines and previously awarded state grants address the conditions of schools and children’s environmental health; Learn more about Federal efforts to mitigate health disparities and improve environmental conditions within our Nation’s schools.
Keyword(s): Child Health, School Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Acting Director of EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection and I am responsible for the implementation of the agency's schools initiative.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
