Helping School Districts Manage IAQ
Addressing indoor air quality (IAQ) in school districts is no easy task. It requires a concerted effort on the part of many stakeholders who are all busy people. IAQ management is often considered during flu season but put on the back burner much of the school year.
And yet, of all the interventions in which we invest to minimize absenteeism and optimize learning, IAQ management might be the most effective and efficient strategy to help students concentrate in the classroom.
The EPA has a mobile app with simple checklists for conducting walk-throughs in various areas of the school district to look for items that could adversely impact IAQ. If a small team breaks up the checklists for completion, they can record their findings on the app and email them directly to the district staff member in charge of IAQ. The app even allows users to add additional notes to their findings which can help the district’s IAQ coordinator quickly compile information that could otherwise take months to collect.
Even with helpful tools such as this, the task of managing IAQ in your school district can be daunting, and that is why the National School Boards Association and the Go Green Initiative have teamed up on an EPA-funded program to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG's) in low-income and Tribal school districts throughout all fifty states and U.S. Territories. Each year ten (10) school districts will be chosen to receive on-the-ground technical assistance and $50,000 in grant funding to enact IAQ Management plans.
To be considered, school districts must serve a student population of 50% or more who qualify for free and reduced price lunch or reside in a Tribal community.
The deadline for submission of this application is May 15, 2025, and results will be announced on June 16, 2025. Onboarding for districts chosen for Cohort 1 will take place over the summer of 2025 so that work can begin September 1.
School Districts chosen to participate in this program will need to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that they will complete the following steps with the assistance of qualified staff from the EPA and Go Green Initiative:
- Enact School Board Policy to address both IAQ Management and GHG Reduction
- Complete baseline IAQ and GHG assessments
- Key School District stakeholders complete training
- Complete a plan to manage IAQ and reduce GHG emissions
- Enact IAQ Management and GHG reduction plans Districtwide
- Measure, quantify and report IAQ and GHG's after plan implementation
Districts are eligible to apply even if they have conducted previous work on Indoor Air Quality or Greenhouse Gas Reduction. This program is designed to help school districts institutionalize and sustain ongoing IAQ and GHG Reduction efforts.
For more information, please check out this recorded webinar.
