Indoor Air Quality in Schools
Background
The air quality inside school buildings affects the health, learning, and productivity of over 50 million students and several million school staff who spend their days in K-12 school buildings. Children and school staff may be exposed to a variety of indoor contaminants that are associated with adverse health effects. Children are especially vulnerable to these indoor air risks because their bodies are developing and because they breathe more air relative to their size than adults.
In addition to controlling the sources of indoor air pollutants, adequate ventilation and filtration are crucial to reducing the levels of contaminants indoors. Yet reports by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that many school buildings lack adequate ventilation and have other indoor environmental problems. These conditions reflect both an overall gap in funding and persistent inequities in funding for school facility maintenance, repairs, and improvements.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of the importance of indoor air quality and led to an unprecedented infusion of funding for school ventilation and other IAQ-related upgrades and repairs. Nevertheless, state policies and programs are needed to ensure sustained attention to providing healthy indoor school environments. The primary responsibility for managing school facilities rests with schools themselves, and many school districts around the country implement IAQ programs and policies. But without statewide policies, school facility practices and conditions may vary considerably from one school district to another within a state.
Policymakers can advance public health and educational excellence for all schools by establishing a statewide policy framework for school IAQ and providing the resources needed to meet state standards.
ELI provides research reports, policy briefs, and policy compilations that describe state policies addressing IAQ in schools. Research reports discuss state policies in effect as of the date of publication. Other materials have been updated periodically to reflect new policy developments.
ELI Materials on IAQ in Schools
Database of State Indoor Air Quality Laws (School IAQ Excerpt)
Topics in School Environmental Health - Overview of State Laws
Ventilation in Schools: A Review of State Policy Strategies (2023)
State Funding for School Ventilation: A Review of State Policies, 2020-2022 (2023)
School District Liability for Indoor Air Quality Conditions (2005)
School Districts Building Healthy, High Performance Schools: Summaries of Selected Initiatives (2005)
Building Healthy, High Performance Schools: A Review of Selected State and Local Initiatives (2003)
Opportunities for Policy Action
States have a significant role to play in improving the way schools are built and renovated, since many states establish design and construction requirements for school facility projects. State building codes and other school construction laws can incorporate key IAQ elements such as adequate ventilation and high-efficiency filtration, moisture control, and use of low-emitting materials. States can also facilitate an integrated approach to considering health and environmental measures through policies that require or incentivize the use of green building criteria.
Addressing IAQ in existing school facilities is vital to improving health and learning but also presents challenges for state policymaking. Many states have laws or regulations that govern aspects of school facility operations and maintenance, but few of those policies address IAQ issues comprehensively or directly. ELI has developed reports and other materials that discuss how states can incorporate three central elements of an IAQ policy for existing schools.
IAQ Requirements. It is important for state policies to require evidence-based measures for preventing and correcting IAQ-related problems in existing schools. Policies can advance a comprehensive approach to school IAQ management, as well as establish standards and requirements for specific IAQ issues such as ventilation, filtration, moisture management, integrated pest management, and cleaning practices.
Oversight of IAQ Requirements. Another fundamental component of an effective school IAQ policy is establishing how state agencies will ensure that schools meet state IAQ requirements. School facility oversight responsibilities may fall within the jurisdiction of the state health, education, and/or occupational safety and health agencies, which differ in their organizational missions and staffing. An important oversight and monitoring tool is to require regular inspections conducted by state or school district officials using clear inspection criteria, along with reporting of inspection results and requirements for correcting deficiencies.
Technical and Financial Assistance. A critical complement to state IAQ requirements and oversight is sustained and equitable funding for under-resourced school districts to prevent and address IAQ problems. States also play a key role in providing information on IAQ issues, most notably through the publication of technical guidance and by offering training and technical assistance directly to school facility professionals.
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