The following are brief overviews of the five state grantees who contributed their expertise to the writing of this addendum.

Connecticut Department of Public Health
The Connecticut Department of Public Health has led the Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT), a multi-agency consortium of 24 agencies and organizations, since 1999. The Connecticut Department of Public Health and CSIERT developed their statewide school environmental health program based on EPA’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Program. Connecticut’s school environmental health work is wide-ranging and includes laboratory cleanout programs, energy conservation, environmental health literacy, support for integrated pest management, radon law compliance, a green cleaning program, and vehicle idling prevention.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health and CSIERT have been recognized by the EPA as a national leader in successfully assisting Connecticut’s school districts with implementing and sustaining IAQ Tools for Schools Programs in more than 940 schools across the state. Key components of their success include ongoing outreach to all public school districts; a requirement that school districts recruit school-based building teams; comprehensive, ongoing training programs; and adopting a holistic approach to addressing school environmental health programs.

Under the EPA grant, Connecticut’s goals were to:

• Continue work toward implementing IAQ Tools for Schools in all 170 of Connecticut’s public school districts.
• Continue to expand the state’s comprehensive sustaining program for existing IAQ Tools for Schools district programs, including:
  • Providing refresher and other training;
  • Maintaining and expanding the CSIERT website; and
  • Providing ongoing staff support for CSIERT.
• Provide tools and resources to other states and tribes looking to develop and sustain multi-agency school environmental health programs.

Highlights from Connecticut’s grant-funded work:

• Made strides in bringing IAQ Tools for Schools to urban school districts. Under the grant, Connecticut completed IAQ Tools for Schools training for the Stamford School District and made substantial progress in implementing the program in the Bridgeport School District.
• Implemented the IAQ Tools for Schools Program in five additional small- to medium-sized school districts, serving 48 schools.
• Provided refresher training for 14 school districts, serving 54 schools.
• Launched a revitalized CSIERT website with information, resources, and links from the old website, as well as new content.
• Collaborated with other state-level agencies and organizations to initiate the Connecticut Green Leaf Program, the state’s version of the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) Program.
• Organized a comprehensive compendium of Connecticut’s Indoor Environmental Quality/IAQ Tools for Schools fact sheets, brochures, training manuals, and workshop presentations for other states to use as a resource for building and sustaining their own school environmental health programs.

Minnesota Department of Health
The state of Minnesota has been addressing environmental health in schools since 1997. That year, a change was made to Minnesota Statute 123B.57 requiring all schools applying for health and safety funding to develop a health and safety program that includes an indoor air quality management plan. The Minnesota Department of Health recommended that schools use EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Program as a basis for developing their indoor air quality plans. The 2011 Legislative Session amended Minnesota Statute 123B.57 to require school boards to adopt a health and safety policy that includes provisions for implementing a health and safety program that complies with health, safety, and environmental regulations and best practices, including indoor air quality management.

From 2000 to 2006, the Minnesota Department of Health received a grant from EPA Region 5 to fund education and evaluation efforts. Each year, the agency completed a yearly survey of every school district in the state, asking specifically about each school’s indoor air quality program and its progress. The Minnesota Department of Health used the data to track how many schools were engaging in various indoor air quality projects. In addition to the survey, a variety of guidance documents, training programs, and individual technical consultations were completed.

Under the EPA grant, the Minnesota Department of Health partnered with state agencies and non-governmental organizations to form the Minnesota School Environmental Health Program to help the state’s schools create healthier environments. Minnesota’s goals for the grant were to:

• Compile school environmental health resources and share them through a single state web portal.
• Promote and educate school officials about the school environmental health guidelines.
• Identify schools that have implemented a comprehensive school environmental health program.

Highlights from Minnesota’s grant-funded work:

• Organized a steering committee of 17 different representatives (state and non-governmental) who compiled state-level guidance, resources, and trainings.
• Using the EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for States as a guiding framework, the steering committee developed a State Plan to Advance School Environmental Health in Minnesota.
• Created a new web portal organized around 22 different environmental topics: www.health.state.mn.us/schoolenvironments Exit.
• Promoted environmental health in a variety of ways, including a new newsletter, email listerv, advertising in journals and on websites, and direct mailings.
• Wrote or made major revisions to 12 environmental health guidance best practice documents.
• Educated school officials through 25 trainings (731 attendees), 8 outreach events, 12 on-site consultations, and 44 off-site consultations.
• Surveyed all 498 Minnesota public school districts and found that 178 of the respondents (77%) had a written environmental health and safety program.
• Created a state school environmental health recognition program and awarded three schools with School Environmental Health Excellence Awards.

New York State Department of Health
The New York State Department of Health is undertaking the state’s first comprehensive effort to adopt a state school environmental health program. Prior to receiving the EPA grant, much of New York’s school environmental health work was fragmented, and the state had never conducted an assessment of regulations, policies, and practices to identify those related to school environmental health.

Under the EPA grant, the New York State Department of Health’s primary goal was to create and build capacity for implementing a sustainable state school environmental health program that would ensure all New York students have access to safe and healthy learning environments. Short- and medium-term outcomes were focused on increasing awareness and utilization of the program among school stakeholders and other potential users. Beyond the grant period, medium- and long-term outcomes include measuring the effectiveness of the program in improving the school environment and enhancing students’ health and performance. These outcomes will be measured by reductions in asthma hospitalizations and school absenteeism, and improved academic performance, among others.

Highlights from New York’s grant-funded work:

• Established a steering committee of more than 50 active members.
• Increased awareness about environmental health risks among steering committee members.
• Increased awareness of the state school environmental health program among regional and national state health agencies, organizations, and schools.
• Developed a strategic plan and a draft comprehensive program plan that outlines the framework of New York’s state school environmental health program.

Ohio Department of Health
The state of Ohio has had a school environmental health program since 1995. Early school environmental health efforts were driven by the Ohio Department of Health providing technical assistance to schools in need. The Ohio Department of Health was an early adopter of EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Program, and provided training and technical assistance for IAQ Tools for Schools Program implementation to public health and school officials.

In 2002, the Ohio Department of Health undertook an effort to revise Ohio’s school inspection manual to meet the need for a more comprehensive, up-to-date manual for use when conducting school building and environment inspections. The new school inspection guidance was completed in 2005, the same year that Jarrod’s Law was passed by the Ohio legislature. Jarrod’s Law included wide-ranging school environmental health rules, as well as requirements for more inclusive school inspections. The law went into full effect in 2007, but was repealed in 2009 after its regulations proved too costly for school districts to implement. The statutory language governing school inspections reverted back to the language used prior to Jarrod’s Law (that is, a general mandate for local health districts to conduct sanitary school inspections twice annually). There are no rules or standards that school inspections should follow and no requirement for school inspectors to use the Ohio Department of Health’s updated guidance manual.

Despite this setback, the Ohio Department of Health remained committed to ensuring healthy school environments. The release of EPA’s state school environmental health program guidelines was viewed by the Ohio Department of Health as a chance to reengage in school environmental health.

Under the EPA grant, Ohio’s goals were to:

• Establish a statewide School Environmental Health Advisory Panel (SEHAP) to serve as a steering committee for current and future project activities, as well as to help develop and implement Ohio’s new school environmental health guidelines.
• Establish the Ohio Schools’ Healthy Environment Network (OSHEN), a communication network for school personnel and public health and environmental officials that would assist in distributing information about training, enhance collaboration, and encourage mentoring and sharing of information related to school environmental health.
• Increase the state’s capacity to implement the new school environmental health guidelines.
• Reduce environmental health and safety risks affecting children through increased efforts to improve school environmental health.

Highlights from Ohio’s grant-funded work:

• SEHAP was established and met to develop school-centered guidelines for improving school environmental health.
• Completed Creating Healthy School Environments: Voluntary Guidelines for Ohio Schools. A digital, interactive copy of the guidelines is available on the Ohio Department of Health School Environmental Health and Safety Program website: www.odh.ohio.gov/odhprograms/eh/schooleh/sehmain.aspx Exit.
• OSHEN was established and currently has 520 members, including school and local health department personnel.
• A statewide School Environmental Health Baseline Assessment is in progress.
• Held five regional trainings in December 2014, with 181 attendees. Presentations from the trainings are available on the following website: www.odh.ohio.gov/odhprograms/eh/schooleh/CHSEPPT.aspx Exit.
• Recorded eight school environmental health webinars prior to end of December 2014. These and future webinars will be broadcast throughout 2015 and archived on the Ohio Department of Health School Environmental Health and Safety Program website, and will be available for use through OSHEN.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
In 2002, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources adopted a model that integrated many of its existing school environmental health and safety programs as a way to streamline its work with schools. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources launched its Green Schools program in 2003, and in 2004 teamed up with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to create the Wisconsin Green and Healthy Schools (GHS) Program. The result was a voluntary, web-based certification program designed to directly support all Wisconsin K-12 schools striving for healthy, safe, and environmentally friendly learning environments.

To achieve GHS recognition, schools complete a lengthy application documenting achievements in nine focus areas. Questions span the topics of facilities, practices, staff training, and curricula. After reviewing the application, schools are recognized at one of four GHS achievement levels. Schools can continue to add to their online application to achieve higher recognition levels. The top-achieving schools are eligible for nomination to the ED-GRS program. Prior to receiving the EPA grant, the Wisconsin GHS Program had a low completion rate (20%) due to its prescriptive nature. With the grant funding, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and program partners leveraged the existing GHS Program to reinvigorate a school environmental health and environmental education initiative across the state.

Under the EPA grant, Wisconsin’s goals were to:

• Redesign the current GHS Program to align with EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for States and ED-GRS standards, among other identified programs. This included:
  • Publishing a Wisconsin Green, Healthy, and Sustainable Schools guide.
  • Creating a Wisconsin Green, Healthy, and Sustainable Schools website.
• Establish a statewide infrastructure to support the GHS Program beyond the grant period. This included:
  • Establishing a statewide steering committee.
  • Establishing a provider network and a statewide mentor network.
  • Training school district teams to complete the redesigned program.
  • Hosting a professional development summer institute around the new GHS Program.

Highlights from Wisconsin’s grant-funded work:

• Redesigned the GHS Program to align with EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for States, ED-GRS standards, and Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools! Program.
• Established a statewide Green and Healthy Schools Advisory Network.
• Provided outreach and presentations at more than 20 venues on a variety of topics.
• Hosted 12 regional workshops and enrolled 220 schools in the program.
• Hosted 3 topic-specific, curriculum-focused workshops for classroom integration.
• Hosted a professional development summer institute for nearly 200 participants.