Communication

DEVELOPING A COMMUNICATION PLAN

The major causes of poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a school are pollutants, improperly maintained and operated HVAC systems and deferred cleaning and maintenance practices.  However, the root or underlying cause of poor school IEQ is a lack of awareness in the school community that IEQ is everyone’s responsibility: teachers, custodians, facilities staff, support staff, administrators, students, nurses, anyone who spends time in the building, as well as school policy makers and funders, including local taxpayers and school board and municipal officials.

Communication is necessary to educate people on the basics of school IEQ and on how everyone’s activities in a school can affect IEQ.  Students, parents, teachers, custodians, and other staff need information about the sources and effects of contamination and about the proper operation of the HVAC system. This communication will allow them to work together to reduce exposures and to develop good housekeeping and building operation and maintenance practices and other preventative measures.

Information on school IEQ issues must be provided not only to building occupants, but also to policy makers and financing sources, including taxpayers, school board members and municipal officials.  Providing and maintaining good indoor air quality may require new school policies and additional funds for renovations and for building operation and maintenance.  Costs and policies should be openly discussed by all involved parties, including school administrators, staff, parents, taxpayers, the school board and municipal officials.

On-going communication with everyone in the school community will help reduce problems and concerns.  It is also necessary for generating increased support for the school’s efforts to maintain healthy buildings for staff and students. Communicating not only involves sharing accurate information in a timely manner, but listening and responding to concerns and issues raised by various groups within the school community

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Question: What have you done in your school; or school district to openly communicate about IEQ issues?

Answer:  The first thing we did in our district was to establish the Tools for Schools program in every school.  When we found IEQ problems, we communicated our findings to parents, students, school staff and school board members.  We also established a method for occupants to register concerns about IEQ issues and a policy for immediately responding to these concerns.

Question:  What methods have you used to communicate on IEQ issues?

Answer:  To communicate about IEQ issues within our school building we have used in-service presentations, e-mail, the school newsletter, staff safety manuals and handbooks and the school district web site.  We also included some IAQ topics in classroom curricula.  To communicate on IEQ to people outside the school we have used letters to parents, the school district web site, PTA presentations, back-to-school nights, bulletin boards, fact sheets and public service announcements on the local radio station.

 Question: Why Should we develop a communication plan?"

Answer: ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS (STUDENTS; PARENTS; STAFF; TAXPAYERS;MUNCICPAL LEADERS, ETC.) NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS REGARDINGINDOOR AIR QUALITY. A GOOD WAY TO DO THIS IS TO CREATE AN IAQNEWSLETTER, WHICH DESCRIBES YOUR GOALS, ACHIEVEMENTS, ETC.COMMUNICATION IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. YOU WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHATYOU ARE DOING, BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, YOU WANT TO ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK.IN THIS WAY, YOU CAN HEAR ABOUT ISSUES OR CONCERNS THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVEBEEN ADDRESSING. YOU SHOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEYHAVE A PROBLEM OR A CONCERN. IF YOU DO NOT GET THIS TYPE OF 'NEGATIVEFEEDBACK', IT WILL NOT GO AWAY AND WILL LIKELY TURN INTO A REAL PROBLEM(E.G., LOW MORALE; HIGH ABSENTEEISM; LAWSUITS; MORE COSTLY RESOLUTIONSOF THE PROBLEM; ETC.) BE PROACTIVE; BE HONEST. GOOD LUCK!

Question: How does one go about FINANCING IAQ PROJECTS?

Answer: EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS FACED WITH BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF MAINTENANCE. SOMETIMES YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY FIX AN IAQ PROBLEM DUE TO THE COSTS (E.G., NEED TO REPLACE A ROOF AND/OR HVAC SYSTEM). HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THIS? WELL, DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION. YOU NEED TO BE SURE YOUR BUILDINGS ARE CLEANED PROPERLY AND 'MINOR MAINTENANCE' PROJECTS ARE DONE (E.G., CHANGING FILTERS). THESE ARE 'LOW HANGING APPLIES' WHICH ARE NOT VERY COSTLY BUT CAN HELP IMPROVE THE SITUATION. WASHING AND DUSTING ARE NOT EXPENSIVE AND TEACHERS ARE HAPPIER TO WORK IN A CLEAN BUILDING. FOR THE EXPENSIVE PROJECTS, YOU SHOULD DEVELOP A FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND EXPLAIN WHY THE ITEMS IN IT ARE IMPORTANT. YOU SHOULD BACK UP THE NEED FOR THESE ITEMS WITH SOUND REASONS. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOME HELP IN DOING THIS.

RELATED LINKS

EPA IAQ Tools for Schools Communications Guide:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/pdfs/publications/communicationsguide.pdf

EPA Tools for Schools IAQ Reference Guide Section 3 – Effective Communication:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tfs/guide3.html

EPA Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners & Facility Managers: Effective Communication:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/largebldgs/pdf_files/sec_3.pdf