1. A Healthful and Safe School Environment:
Chapter 3
A Healthful and Safe School Environment:
Protecting the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty, and Staff

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. Enhancing Physical Conditions that Facilitate Optimal Learning & Development
School size
Lighting
Color choices
Temperature/ ventilation
Noise control
Sanitation/ cleanliness
Other physical conditions
Accessibility

6. 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

7. 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 foot candles
Adequate lighting promotes effective academic work, discourages unsanitary conditions, and encourages high morale

8. Color Choices
Color can transform a school’s atmosphere from depressing and monotonous to:
Inviting
Pleasing
Stimulating

9. 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 degrees Fahrenheit
During humid and/or hot days, make sure students are hydrating on a regular basis

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Providing a Safe School Environment
The important concepts are as follows:
Teacher responsibilities
Safe school transportation
Safe playgrounds
Disaster and emergency preparedness

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Characteristics of a Secure Physical Environment (U. S Dept
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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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)

30. 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

31. 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

32. Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs
Identify needs
Use 4 program components
Screening
Education
Policy/environmental changes
EAP
Maximize participation

33. A Healthful and Safe School Environment:
Chapter 3
A Healthful and Safe School Environment:
Protecting the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty, and Staff