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School Siting: Get Informed, Get Involved!
“Sources of Pollution and School Siting” briefing in Washington DC
On April 28, children’s health advocates, teachers, school nurses, community members and congressional staff members came together in Washington DC to discuss the health impacts of building schools on or near sources of pollution and the importance of national, state, and local guidelines on the siting of schools. Find out more about this briefing
Children are not just little adults; they eat, drink, and breathe at much higher rates than adults, their growing bodies more readily absorb harmful contaminants, and their developing immune systems make them more prone to diseases and disorders caused by exposure to toxics. Toxic sites near schools, where children often spend more than eight hours a day, pose a huge threat to students' health.
Why Does It Matter?
How Do I Take Action Against Irresponsible School Siting?
How Do I Learn More?
Why Does It Matter?
Many school districts, facing major budget cuts and encountering few laws that prevent the construction of new schools on contaminated land, have resorted to building school facilities in close proximity to recognized toxic sites. In 2002, CHEJ's Childproofing Our Communities Campaign and several partner organizations found that over 1,100 public schools in New York, New Jersy, Massachusetts, California, and Michigan were within 1/2 mile of a Superfund site. In a follow-up investigation in 2005, CHEJ found that only five states have laws that make it illegal to build a school on a contaminated site.
It doesn't have to be this way!
In December of 2007, President Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act which included a small mandate to the Environmental Protection Agency to create national comprehensive voluntary guidelines on school siting. The deadline for these guidelines is June of 2009.
We encourage community groups and concerned citizens to voice their concerns to their local school board, city council, and state and national representatives, and encourage the adoption of more protective school siting regulations at all levels.
How Do I Take Action Against Irresponsible School Siting?
1. Contact your elected representatives at the federal level – ask them to support school siting regulations to protect school children from exposure to toxics. Check out CHEJ’s model school siting guidelines at the bottom of this page.
2. Look up your local school board in the phone book or online and give them a call. Ask them to investigate the problem. Start by learning about your state's specific school siting laws, then get some pointers. click here for sample script
3. Find out other ways to take action in your community and let us know your plans.
4. Support for CHEJ efforts by making a donation to fund further investigations, programs, and organizing efforts related to school siting.
How Do I Learn More?
Dec. 22, 2008 Press Release about School Siting
Dec. 8, 2008 Press Release about School Siting
"Creating Safe Learning Zones" Study & Guidelines
Identified Schools Near Superfund Sites
Model School Siting Legislation
Read USA TODAY's report on toxic air pollution and schools
Find out what others are doing in your district, your state, and your region, and get connected! Read stories from other communities, find out if CHEJ has been working in your community, then begin to form a coalition. You can always contact the Childproofing Our Communities Campaign for assistance, resources, and technical support.
Want to spread your story? Email/fill out this form. Sharing your challenges and successes with other communities helps build a base of parents, community groups, and schools dedicated to protecting the health and wellbeing of our children.
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