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Katy ISD making the grade on indoor air quality

Release Date: 12/06/2007
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Tressa Tillman at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

EPA recognizes district with Model of Sustained Excellence Award

(Dallas, Texas – December 6, 2007) Katy Independent School District and exemplary districts across the nation were honored today for implementing successful indoor air quality programs at the 8th Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) National Symposium in Washington D.C.

The Environmental Protection Agency presented the school district with a Model of Sustained Excellence Award, which honors schools and districts that have demonstrated the institutionalization of comprehensive practices for IAQ management and continued their commitment to maintaining healthy facilities for their students and staff.

“Healthy kids and a healthy environment go hand in hand,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “Katy ISD and this year’s other honorees are showing that clean indoor air is as fundamental as reading, writing and arithmetic.”

With more than 53 million children spending a significant portion of their day in the classroom, poor indoor air quality can pose health risks in schools for both students and staff and lead to asthma attacks, decreased performance or diminished concentration. The EPA’s IAQ TfS Awards Program recognizes schools and school districts that have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving children’s health by promoting good indoor air quality.

Katy ISD was previously recognized by EPA with a 2005 Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Excellence Award. The district received the award for implementing walkthrough inspections at each of its 44 school campuses and assigning specific staff members with responsibility for indoor air quality. Katy was also a pilot school district in the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) computer tracking software program. HealthySEAT is a fully customizable and easy-to-use software program designed to help school districts evaluate and manage environmental, safety and health issues.

The Dec. 6-8 national symposium will focus on the latest research and information on environmental health topics such as: radon, mold, asthma management, maintaining ventilation systems for good IAQ, green cleaning products and best practices of high-performing schools.

More information on EPA’s IAQ TfS program is available at https://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/.

To learn more about activities in EPA Region 6, visit https://www.epa.gov/region6.

EPA audio file is available at: https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio120607_katy.