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Cozy Up This Winter with
School Indoor Air Quality Resources
The latest on-demand webinars available to view on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website outline a four-step process for implementing indoor air quality (IAQ) management strategies to reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria in schools. Identify the important steps for improving IAQ in your school or school district by viewing the webinars listed below.
Featured in This Issue—
- Warm up to EPA’s Hot New On-Demand Webinar Trainings!
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NEW Updates to EPA’s School IAQ Assessment Mobile App! What Does This Mean for Your School?
- Mitigate Exposure to 3D Printer Emissions in Schools in this Four-Part Learning Series!
Warm up to EPA’s Hot New On-Demand Webinar Trainings!
 Each year, EPA is committed to providing schools and school districts with helpful guidance, materials and information to promote healthy learning environments. EPA offers several on-demand web-based trainings on creating green, clean and healthy school environments. Each pre-recorded webinar features technical experts, industry leaders and model school districts and is followed by a 30-minute mentoring question-and-answer session. Gain recognition for your knowledge achievement and commitment to action through certificates of completion and continuing education units for each training.
These webinars are available year-round on-demand. Explore these helpful resources this winter season and increase your knowledge about school IAQ!
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NEW! Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools: Plans, Practices and Principles for Maintaining Healthy Learning Environment Webinar Series
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This year, in light of current health challenges, EPA has created a new series designed to provide schools with proactive plans, practices and principles to help schools to be better address IAQ health and safety.
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IAQ Master Class Professional Training Webinar Series
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The IAQ Master Class Professional Training Webinar Series comprises ten 1-hour technical, web-based trainings designed to provide school district staff the knowledge and tools they need to execute an IAQ management program. This series was developed in collaboration with the School Health and Indoor Environments Leadership Development (SHIELD) Network—a group of diverse stakeholders who work toward the bold goal of ensuring that all schools have healthy indoor environments.
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Complete all 10 hours to be acknowledged with a certificate that recognizes your efforts toward IAQ mastery as a member of the IAQ Master Class!
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IAQ Knowledge-to-Action Professional Training Webinar Series
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The ongoing IAQ Knowledge-to-Action Professional Training Webinar Series comprises 1-hour technical, web-based trainings that demonstrate how the knowledge gained in the IAQ Master Class Professional Training Webinar Series can be translated into actionable steps to continue improving IAQ within your school district.
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NEW Updates to EPA’s School IAQ Assessment Mobile App!
What Does This Mean for Your School?
 Over the last 2 years, EPA has added several flagship resources to its informational toolbox, such as the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Preventive Maintenance Guidance, and now these tools are available in the School IAQ Assessment Mobile App!
Saving money while keeping buildings safe and reliable is one of the top priorities in most schools across the nation. New additions to the mobile app will help you to stop issues from becoming costly repairs by including preventive maintenance in your school IAQ management practices and will provide opportunities to elevate your current practices to become more proactive and predictive—achieving better facility performance and extending equipment longevity. By acting quickly to address IAQ issues as they arise, school districts can save money while protecting the health of students and staff.
Where Can I Find These New Resources?
The preventive maintenance guidance and associated checklist can be found in the Action Kit Resources tab of the mobile app. Simply tap the Action Kit Resources tab, and then select “Preventive Maintenance Guidance Documents” to explore these materials in the mobile app.
Access these resources online.
How Do I Use Them?
The guide tells you what to do, and the checklist walks you through it! Use the guide to make the case for preventive maintenance and take actionable steps toward healthier IAQ. Sections of the guide correlate to four distinct and actionable steps that coordinate with the IAQ Tools for Schools Framework for Effective School IAQ Management. Depending on the actions your school district has already taken to implement IAQ preventive maintenance best practices, you could start with any step. The steps are interconnected and can be followed in any order that fits your situation.
Use the IAQ Preventive Maintenance Checklist to create a customizable Excel checklist that includes actions specific to IAQ preventive maintenance. You can filter the checklist by the following categories:
- Full IAQ Preventive Maintenance
- Energy Efficiency
- Materials Selection
- Green Cleaning
- HVAC
- Integrated Pest Management
- Mold and Moisture
- Safety
- Source Control
The School IAQ Assessment Mobile App complements existing IAQ management programs and is a “one-stop shop” for accessing EPA’s comprehensive school IAQ management guidance and detailed walkthrough assessment checklists that address critical building-related environmental health issues. Explore it today!
Mitigate Exposure to 3D Printer Emissions in Schools
in this Four-Part Learning Series!
 Learn more about 3D printer emissions, their health effects, and what you can do to reduce their impact in your school with this new four-part learning series!
Created in partnership with Chemical Insights, an Institute of Underwriters Laboratories, this series walks you through why IAQ matters by covering research on the impact that operating 3D printers has on IAQ and explains what you can do to mitigate the unintended consequences associated with this exciting, innovative technology. Complete all four modules to expand your knowledge of how to reduce exposure to 3D printer emissions!
Use EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit and IAQ Tools for Schools Framework for Effective School IAQ Management to tailor your IAQ management plans for mitigating 3D printer emissions. Key considerations should include—
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Smart Materials Selection: Schools have many options when choosing materials to use in 3D printers. Whenever possible, you should develop policies to purchase only low-emitting products and create and maintain an inventory of the purchased products, including information related to storage, emergency response procedures, and emergency contact information.
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Aggressive Source Control: One method to reduce 3D printer emissions is to control the pollutant at its source. Implement a plan detailing the use, labeling, storage and disposal of materials that may be hazardous. Whenever possible, conduct these pollutant-releasing activities when the school is unoccupied.
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Quality HVAC: Proper ventilation practices also will help to mitigate exposure to potentially hazardous emissions. Check with your facilities and maintenance department to discuss the frequency of HVAC system inspections and ensure that sufficient outdoor air ventilation is being provided to areas where 3D printers are being used.
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Asthma Management: Many environmental factors, including 3D printer emissions, may cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Incorporate asthma management into your IAQ management plan, and outline policies on the use of inhalers and other medication, as well as emergency procedures for asthma attacks.
The learning modules can be found on AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org, an EPA sponsored online network designed for community-based asthma programs and organizations that sponsor them.
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Questions?
EPA offers free IAQ Tools for Schools resources—including the School IAQ Assessment Mobile App—to help schools maintain a healthy indoor environment by identifying, correcting and preventing IAQ problems. Learn more about the IAQ Tools for Schools guidance and access other valuable school environmental health resources at www.epa.gov/iaq-schools.
If you have any questions about the IAQ Tools for Schools guidance, please contact the IAQ Tools for Schools Connector Coordinator at iaqschools@epa.gov.
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