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Seven Oregon School Districts Receive Air Quality Awards

Release Date: 05/15/2006
Contact Information: Susan Titus, 206-553-1189, titus.susan@epa.gov Jeff Philip, 206-553-1465, Philip.jeff@epa.gov

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Seven Oregon School Districts Receive Air Quality Awards

(Eugene, OR – May 15, 2006) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honored seven Oregon school districts for outstanding leadership in improving indoor air quality at an awards ceremony Thursday in Eugene, Oregon. The districts receiving the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Leadership Awards include Albany, Bend-La Pine, Junction City, Lebanon, Philomath, Portland, and Springfield. A Special Achievement Award was also presented to James Sundell, of the Oregon Education Association, for advancing the Tools for Schools program in Oregon State.

In 1995, EPA developed the voluntary IAQ Tools for Schools Kit and Program in response to government studies highlighting the deteriorating conditions of the nation’s schools and the alarming rise in asthma cases, particularly among school and preschool age children. Today, one out of every 13 school-age children has asthma. Asthma alone accounts for 14 million missed school days each year.

Indoor air quality also impacts student performance. According to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Education Research and Improvement, students attending schools with poor indoor air quality score 11 percent lower on standardized tests than those students attending schools in good condition.

The IAQ TfS program teaches schools how to identify, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems through low and no-cost measures. The program explains IAQ management, facility planning and maintenance, financing, communications, and emergency response. An IAQ Tools for Schools Kit also includes easy-to-use checklists for all school personnel, sample management plans, and a unique indoor air problem-solving wheel. Since the creation of the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) program, more than 26,000 schools across the country have adopted IAQ management programs consistent with EPA's guidance.