Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Regional Highlights showcases exceptional school environmental health projects within each of EPA’s ten regions.

EPA Region 7 includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska; and tribes.

On this page:

• 2014
• 2013

2014 Highlights

Collaborating to Provide Training and Outreach to Schools in the Heartland

The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) program—supported by EPA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—is a network of children’s environmental health experts who provide knowledge and advice to healthcare professionals, parents, schools, and communities across the nation regarding environmental hazards and children’s health. EPA Region 7 works closely with a PEHSU to advance children’s environmental health, and they have recently extended their geographical scope to include school environments outside the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

One of Region 7’s partners, Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, has developed a training program for healthy school service providers, such as building managers and custodial teams. Additionally, Region 7 has created an online Healthy Schools Toolkit. Both educational tools provide detailed information on various Healthy School topics, including composting, integrated pest management, lead, mercury, and PCBs. Region 7’s PEHSU will provide training beginning in early 2015 to four to eight school districts per topic, reaching a total of 36 districts.

In addition, Region 7 has continued its outreach to school principals and nurse associations. EPA representatives performed walkthrough assessments in two school districts, reaching more than 3,000 students and 275 teachers. In the walkthroughs, key issues—such as chemical cleanouts and prevention, mold and moisture control, and asbestos management—were identified for the building managers and custodial teams to address to create healthier school environments.

This year, Region 7 also worked with Kansas State University to provide outreach to schools with high levels of radon. It provided assistance to two school districts that were able to implement radon testing and mitigation at little or no cost. Because of these positive steps, another 1,424 students and 186 school staff members are learning and working in radon-free environments.

2013 Highlights

Creating a Resource Toolkit for Healthy Schools

Upon realizing that the resources for the Healthy Schools initiative were segregated by department and not readily accessible for the public, Region 7 Healthy School Coordinator Kathleen Fenton decided to create a central database for outreach materials that would be helpful for school districts or parents looking to improve their school’s environment. The finalized Healthy School Toolkit contains a vast amount of background and intervention information on more than 15 environmental health topics, including Asbestos, Chemical Cleanout, Composting, ENERGY STAR®, Green Cleaning, Healthy Schools, Integrated Pest Management, Lead, Mercury, Mold, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Radon, Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, and Recycling.

Fenton pictures the Healthy Schools Toolkit as an “evergreen” resource that will be updated yearly with new brochures, studies and regulations. Over 2,100 school superintendents have been notified of the new resource, as well as school nurses, school plant managers, the Asthma Coalition, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) partners, and associations in the Region 7 area.