Peggy Caruso, assistant director of maintenance and operations in the environmental department of the Katy school district, and Diane Rhodes, asthma educator for the North East Independent School District in San Antonio, were awarded national special achievement awards at the EPA's 9th Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium in Washington, D.C.

Caruso was recognized for establishing the Tools for Schools program in Katy. She also has worked with the American Lung Association and the Texas Department of State Health Services to teach others about creating their own Tools for Schools programs.

The EPA saluted Rhodes for touring the state of Texas to promote the benefits of improving indoor air quality in schools.

"Diane believes that with awareness, management of environmental triggers, medication, and education, asthma can be controlled," the EPA says. "Her four-part approach serves as the foundation for all education and outreach activities."

Rhodes also has organized "Asthma Blow-Outs," in which medical personnel help participants learn about strategies for controlling asthma.

Also at the symposium, the EPA bestowed the National Excellence Award on three school districts that have shown exceptional commitment to managing indoor air quality in their schools:

• Connecticut Technical High School System, Middletown: In 2004, the school system customized the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program to establish Tools for Techs, its own indoor air quality management program for technical high schools. Tools for Techs checklists are posted to the district's Web site to encourage the participation of other schools in the system and maintain open communications between stakeholders.
• Newark (N.J.) School District: The district embraced the Tools for Schools Program and developed an individualized IAQ plan for each of its schools. Each school designated an IAQ team, and the district held training sessions in conjunction with the Pediatric/Adult Asthma Coalition of New Jersey. Open communications and staff training are key to Newark's program. IAQ posters hang in every classroom, reminding teachers and students of their role in ensuring good IAQ. Newark Public Schools also has performed a hazardous chemicals analysis and removed more than 60 tons of chemicals from schools.
• North East Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas: The district's program includes integrated pest management, chemical cleanup, radon gas mitigation, lead-based paint tests, and a formalized IAQ complaint investigation practice. The district has created a Department of Safe and Healthy Schools. An extensive chemical clean-out program has led to the removal of 23 cubic yards of chemicals from the district. School faculty and staff members are encouraged to remove all clutter from their rooms before the beginning of summer so that custodians can clean more efficiently and effectively during summer walkthroughs. This effort has reduced cleaning time by as much as 50 percent. The combination of IAQ efforts helped increase the district's average daily attendance by 0.3 percent in 2007-08.

The Amity Regional School District No. 5 in Woodbridge, Conn., the Baldwin (N.Y.) Union Free School District and the Bellingham (Wash.) School District received the National Model of Sustained Excellence Award from the EPA. They are previous winners of National Excellence Awards that have demonstrated a continuing commitment to good indoor air quality and healthful school facilities.

Source: Austin American-Statesman

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