You asked how indoor air quality issues are being addressed in Connecticut schools and if there are any ongoing indoor air quality and maintenance programs in place. This report updates a 2002 report (2002-R-0396) to reflect recent legislation and updated data.

SUMMARY

By law, local boards of education are specifically responsible for properly maintaining their facilities and must adopt and implement an indoor air quality program. For buildings associated with school construction projects undertaken after July 1, 2003, boards of education must adopt a uniform inspection and evaluation program, such as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U. S. EPA's) Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program. Boards must do this before January 1, 2008, and every five years thereafter.

Although boards are not specifically required to use the Tools for Schools program, the Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT), of which the State Department of Education is a member, promotes its use. According to data provided by that organization, over 500 schools in 89 districts are currently using Tools for Schools at some level and 15 more districts are considering or planning to use the program.

STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

In 2003, the General Assembly made several changes to the school construction and board of education statutes to improve and protect the indoor air quality in Connecticut schools.

Facility Maintenance

Public Act 03-220 (1) specifically made boards of education responsible for maintaining their facilities, (2) required them to adopt and implement an indoor air quality program that provides for ongoing maintenance and facility reviews necessary to maintain and improve their facilities' indoor air quality, and (3) required school boards annually to report to the education commissioner on their indoor air quality program as well as their school building program.

Inspection and Evaluation Programs

Before January 1, 2008 and every five years after that, the act also requires boards of education to provide for a uniform inspection and evaluation program, such as the U. S. EPA's Tools for Schools, for the indoor air quality for every school building constructed, extended, renovated, or replaced on or after January 1, 2003. The program must include a review, inspection, or evaluation of:

• the HVAC systems;

• radon levels in the air and water;

• potential for exposure to microbiological airborne particles, including fungi, mold, and bacteria;

• chemical compounds of concern to indoor air quality, including volatile organic compounds;

• pest infestation, including insects and rodents;

• degree of pesticide usage;

• the presence and plans for removing certain hazardous substances identified under federal law;

• ventilation systems;

• plumbing, including water distribution systems, drainage systems, and fixtures;

• water leaks;

• the facilities' overall cleanliness;

• building structural elements, including roofing, basements, and slabs;

• the use of space, particularly in areas designed to be unoccupied; and

• the provision of indoor air quality maintenance training for building staff.

The law requires each school board conducting evaluations to make the results available for public inspection at a regularly scheduled board meeting.

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAM

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit to help schools identify and address indoor air quality issues. Schools and districts throughout Connecticut have implemented the program through the efforts of the Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT), a consortium of 24 agencies and organizations. Participating members include, among others, the Connecticut departments of education, public health, environmental protection, and the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. CSIERT also includes indoor air quality specialists, industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, educators, and trainers.

The Tools for Schools training program has two parts. The first component involves members of CSIERT's resource team presenting the program to a school's staff and administrators. If the school decides to participate, the resource team sets up the training to help it implement the program. The school recruits its own team, made up of a (1) teacher, (2) parent, (3) administrator, (4) nurse, and (5) maintenance worker or custodian. The training shows the team members how to use the materials in their kits to do initial testing.

According to Kenny Foscue of Connecticut's Public Health Department, Tools for Schools gives schools a system for identifying problems in their indoor environment and helps them come up with solutions. It walks them through the process of identifying and testing for problems with specific checklists for each occupation in the school. The school resource team compiles a report of the information it has gathered. Six to eight weeks after the first training, the CSIERT resource team returns with industrial hygienists and other specialists to train school employees in making visual inspections and assessments to confirm the report and find new problems.

Once the resource team identifies a problem, it must figure out: (1) the problem's priority level, (2) what fixing it would cost, (3) who should implement or be responsible for a solution, and (4) by what date. Through this process, Foscue says, schools get a good assessment of what is going on in their facilities and how to address the problems. The EPA wants schools to implement a new cycle of identifying, testing, and solving indoor air quality problems each year.

According to CSIERT, as of December 8, 2005:

• over 500 schools participate in the program,

• 85 Connecticut towns have all district schools participating in the program,

• four towns have one or more schools in the district that currently participate, and

• 15 towns have school districts that are considering implementing the program.

CSIERT wants whole districts to implement the program in all of their schools.

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