AFT: Unhealthy Schools Dangerous to Health and Learning

by James Parks, Dec 4, 2006

Window Media | Real Media

Going to school shouldn’t be dangerous for your children’s health. But a new report by AFT finds millions of students and school staff struggle every day to teach and learn in buildings that are infested with rodents and roaches, asbestos, mold that has caused mushrooms to grow and bathrooms that don’t work.

The report, Building Minds, Minding Buildings, paints an appalling and disturbing picture (video) of what happens when national and local officials ignore the physical conditions of our schools. Here’s how AFT describes the impact of such neglect:

The research is unequivocal: Poor building conditions are a serious threat to the health and academic performance of students. Achievement is significantly lower in schools with poor conditions, studies show. Likewise, asthma induced by mold and other indoor air quality problems are an increasingly prevalent school health issue and a major contributor to student and staff absenteeism.

How bad is it? Consider these examples from the report:

• In 1995, the Government Accountability Office reported 25,000 school buildings needed extensive repairs and replacements then costing $112 billion to bring the buildings into conformity with minimum building standards.
• A 1999 federal report indicated that three-quarters of schools needed funds for repairs, etc., to upgrade their overall condition to good. 
• Minority children from low-income communities are disproportionally affected by these conditions. 
• The American Lung Association found that in 2000 there were more than 12 million days of absence caused by asthma aggravated by poor indoor air quality.

I have encountered, either personally or by observation, situations of exposed wires, puddles on floors, buckets in hallways to catch the leaks from the roof when it rains, mouse droppings, room temperatures not under the control of teachers ranging from 45 degrees in winter to 90 degrees on other occasions. I have been in rooms with no natural light when the power went out and the only thing preventing total darkness was a screen saver on a computer. I have seen student bathrooms with no doors on the stalls and hence no privacy….There have been classrooms with more students than desks (fortunately I have avoided this in my own career), and desks and chairs that were too small, or broken.

Students are often far more perceptive than adults realize. They see the conditions in which they attend school and quickly draw the conclusion that their learning is really not important, otherwise they would not be subjected to such indignities.

What can be done? AFT, which proposed a Marshall Plan for the nation’s deteriorating schools 20 years ago, is calling for national, state and local governments, parents, students and school staff to join in its national “Building Minds, Minding Buildings” campaign. Parents and school employees can tell about conditions in their schools by taking an electronic survey.

The campaign is pushing for:

• Passage of America’s Better Classroom (ABC) Act, which would provide $24.8 billion in school modernization bonds for renovation of existing buildings and construction of new schools.
• Passage of the 21st Century High Performing School Facilities Act, which would authorize grants to school districts for modernization and construction.
• Creation of a “Learning Environment Index” under the No Child Left Behind initiative that would require schools and districts to make improvements in the teaching and learning environment.
• Improvements at the state and local levels, including stronger standards for school building and systems inspections and clear guidelines for school renovation practices.
• Uniform and comprehensive pest control and maintenance plans.
• Increased involvement of union members in the planning of new school construction and renovation.

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