A Healthful and Safe School Environment:

1. Chapter 3 A Healthful and Safe School Environment: Protecting the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty, and Staff

2. Need for Supportive Environmental Conditions in Schools • More than 53 million children and almost 3 million adults spend their days in 112,000 public/private school buildings (EPA, 2003) • The dynamic external conditions consist of: • Physical • Emotional • Social • Political • Others

3. Need for Supportive Environmental Conditions in Schools, cont. • Effective action to create and maintain a healthful and safe school environment requires cooperation from the following: • Teachers as advocates, including school staff members • Students’ involvement • Parent and community Involvement

4. School Environments • Multitude of dynamic conditions that are external to the person • Two types • Supportive: creates healthful choices or protects the well-being of the student (e.g., food service programs) • Non-supportive: detracts from commitment for healthful behavior (e.g., vending machines containing junk food)

5. School size Lighting Color choices Temperature/ ventilation Noise control Sanitation/ cleanliness Other physical conditions Accessibility Enhancing Physical Conditions that Facilitate Optimal Learning & Development

6. School Size • School and classroom size are important environmental conditions • Teachers and school professionals have little control over this • Student distraction is more likely in large classes compared to smaller ones • Small schools offer greater opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities and leadership roles

7. Lighting • Most critical physical characteristic of the classroom • Key to the well-being of students and teachers who are confined in a classroom • Poor lighting can affect students’ attitudes and mood • General classroom illumination requires 50-100 foot candles • Adequate lighting promotes effective academic work, discourages unsanitary conditions, and encourages high morale

8. Color Choices • Color can transform a school’s atmosphere from depressing and monotonous to: • Inviting • Pleasing • Stimulating

9. Temperature and Ventilation • Temperatures that are too high deplete energy from students • Temperatures that are too low can make students restless and inattentive • Optimal classroom temperature should range between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit • During humid and/or hot days, make sure students are hydrating on a regular basis

10. Noise Control • Noise can make it difficult for students to learn for several reasons • Noise raises stress levels for students and teachers • Classroom noise can be controlled by using noise absorbing materials • Long-term exposure can lead to hearing loss

11. Sanitation and Cleanliness • Sanitation is the protection of health and prevention of disease by removing filth and infectious materials • Personal hand-washing procedures should be stressed among all students and school personnel • All schools should have a standard policy promoting this important concept

12. Other Physical Conditions • Here are some possible conditions that could impact a student’s well-being • Optimal space for physical activity • Watch for “hidden spaces” • Storage of chemicals • Sun exposure • Animals in the classrooms

13. Accessibility • Students with physical disabilities often require modifications to gain access to several facilities • Access often requires installation of special equipment or modifications of existing facilities

14. Emotional Environments • Feelings, expectations, experiences that affect students’ development • Warm and non-threatening learning environments promote health and learning • Teacher’s personality and behavior determine emotional climate

15. Emotional Security • Affirmative behaviors build emotional security • Emotional security is a feeling of freedom from anxiety in which individuals feel they can express themselves without fear of reprisal • By modeling empathetic behavior, this will foster affirming relationships that are the “backbone” of a healthy school climate Schools can foster sensitivity to differences by incorporating multicultural concepts into their curriculum

16. Effective Classroom Management • The use of managerial skills by teachers to decrease disruptive behavior • Promotes student achievement and self-control • Having clearly defined classroom rules will diminish discipline problems • Discipline is training that corrects and improves student behavior

17. Providing a Safe School Environment • The important concepts are as follows: • Teacher responsibilities • Safe school transportation • Safe playgrounds • Disaster and emergency preparedness

18. Teacher’s Responsibilities • Proper reporting of accidents/injuries • Assessing/correcting potential safety hazards • Providing proper first aid when needed • Establishing safety procedures in the classroom • Providing appropriate supervision of students at all times

19. Liability Protection and Safety Guidelines • The major aspect of safety liability is negligence • Negligence is the failure to conduct oneself in conformity with standards established by law for the protection of others against risk of injury • When an injury occurs, a teacher may be held liable as the cause due to carelessness • Complete and report all accidents following any injury

20. Safe Transportation • All schools should have a safe drop-off and pick-up zone • Adequate adult supervision should be provided at all times • All vehicles should be driven in a safe manner while on school premises • If public transportation is involved, precautions should be taken to promote safety of each individual

21. Safe Playgrounds • More injuries occur to elementary students on the playground than in any other place • Schools are responsible for providing safe equipment • Injuries usually involve falling or jumping from playground equipment • Maintaining high safety standards will reduce injuries

22. Disaster and Emergency Preparedness • Schools must be ready to deal with a variety of emergencies • Planning is of the utmost importance • Emergency planning committees develop and implement school emergency plans • After a plan is developed, students and staff should be trained on an annual basis

23. Supervise access to facilities/grounds Reduce class/school size Adjust time to minimize traffic in hallways Conduct a building safety audit with safety experts Close school campuses during lunch Adopt a school uniform policy Arrange supervision during critical time periods Prohibit students from meeting in critical areas Have adults visible throughout the school Stagger dismissal times/lunch periods Monitor surrounding school grounds Coordinate with local police regarding safe routes to/from campus Characteristics of a Secure Physical Environment (U.S Dept. of Education, 1998)

24. School Violence • Violence is a major concern, especially since the publicized incidences that have occurred on school campuses • Students need to feel free from violence in order to perceive a future and a sense of learning at school • Policies must be implemented to build a violence-free school and environment

25. Zero Tolerance Policies • School or district policy that mandates predetermined consequences or punishments for specific offenses • Most schools have “zero tolerance” for firearms and other weapons • Drugs, tobacco, and violence are others that have been included

26. Sexual Harassment • Unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior • Children and adolescents are also victimized • Conduct and/or words that sexually offend or demean are examples • Title IX prohibits harassment and sexual discrimination in all public/private educational institutions

27. Supporting a Drug-Free School Environment • Research shows that protective schools can be effective for decreasing drug use • The following are considered important to create a physical and psychological atmosphere for youth development • Clear policies on drug possession • Positive peer programs • Drug-free activities • Drug-free school zones • Tobacco-free school environments

28. Protecting Against Bloodborne Pathogens • Pathogenic microorganisms in blood that cause disease • Can result in HIV, Hepatitis B and C • Universal precautions are steps all schools should adopt • Avoid exposure, especially direct contact with bodily fluids

29. Supporting Healthy Eating and Nutrition • Information given during class on proper nutrition should be reinforced with food served in schools • Policies and practices should be consistent • Teamwork is needed among teachers, parents, etc., as a shared responsibility • Schools are urged to implement the “Ten Keys to Promote Healthy Eating in Schools,” (USDA, 2000)

30. School Food Services • Reinforcement of healthful eating behaviors should reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans • Nutrition education needs to be offered to food service personnel regularly • School meals that are federally funded must meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans • This includes: • School Lunch programs • School Breakfast programs • Special Milk programs

31. Providing School-Site Health Promotion for Staff • The rationale for health promotion for staff: • Keeping employees healthy will result in: • Decreased health care costs for staff • Decreased absenteeism • Increased job satisfaction

32. Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs • Identify needs • Use 4 program components • Screening • Education • Policy/environmental changes • EAP • Maximize participation

33. Chapter 3 A Healthful and Safe School Environment: Protecting the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty, and Staff