A Healthful and Safe School

Environment:
Protecting the Health and Safety of
Students, Faculty, and Staff
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
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
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)
 Enhancing Physical Conditions that
Facilitate Optimal Learning & Development

1. School size 5. Noise control

2. Lighting 6. Sanitation/
3. Color choices cleanliness
4. Temperature/ 7. Other physical
ventilation conditions
8. Accessibility
 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
 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
 Color Choices

Color can transform a school’s atmosphere

from depressing and monotonous to:
Inviting
Pleasing
Stimulating
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
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
 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
 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
Providing a Safe School Environment

The important concepts are as follows:

Teacher responsibilities
Safe school transportation
Safe playgrounds
Disaster and emergency preparedness
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
Characteristics of a Secure Physical
Environment
(U.S Dept. of Education, 1998)
• 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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)
 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
 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
Planning and Implementing Health
Promotion Programs
• Identify needs
• Use 4 program components
– Screening
– Education
– Policy/environmental changes
– EAP
• Maximize participation