It is well documented that children are most susceptible to environmental hazards in their environment.� Under current policy, our children are potentially exposed in school to environmental hazards such as pesticides, commercial cleaning products, lead, mold, poor indoor air quality (especially in portable classrooms), and industrial emissions at and around school. As more is learned about the effect on student health of these hazards, school systems nationwide are seeking alternatives to pesticides, herbicides and toxic cleaning materials whenever possible and seeking to use the least-toxic alternatives when constructing new schools.
1. Do you support the creation of an interdepartmental task force to review and revise maintenance practices and materials policies to improve the health and safety of our students?�� YES
Environmental Hazards Comments:
����������� Understandably, many are concerned
about the potential health hazards that exist in schools.� I remember the asbestos concerns after the
fire at Loudoun County High School, and also the air quality concerns because
staff and students were sent back in the building so quickly after the
fire.� Many were affected by this
unfortunate disaster, but the message seemed to be �education as soon as
possible because all is safe� � many of us were not so sure.�
����������� The �interdepartmental task force�
is a good idea and should be made up of members of both boards [school and
county], as well as informed citizens.�
The task force, then, would also have to know how and if its research is
going to be used.� Sometimes task forces
are put together but then the results are not used � I would try to implement
the findings quickly.� This task force
would have to continue to meet because health and safety �betterness� is an
ongoing pursuit.�
����������� Long bus rides also contribute to
environmental �hazards� because more pollution is placed into the air from
buses and automobiles.� Ultimately, if
schools are placed closer to communities that can support them, then the
environment can be better preserved.� It
is also �hazardous� to build against plans that protect the environment � we
need to make sure that our watersheds and remaining open spaces are respected
as building continues.� LCPS can not
become an entity that is an �environmental hazard� because it builds to suits
its needs rather than those of the environment.
�����������
Research shows that efforts to
improve school health and nutrition have significant impact on school
performance.�� Childhood
obesity and other chronic diseases are at epidemic levels; research shows that
this is very closely linked to poor nutritional intake in children.�� Loudoun County, with our good soil and
rural farms has the unique opportunity to initiate reforms to improve the
health of our children through food policies and education.� Please rank the following initiatives
according to your priorities (#1 through 8):
�1� is the
highest in my ranking; �8".
8
Restrict sale of candy, soda, sweets at/through the school
7
Adopt a �Healthy snacks� and �Healthy Parties� policy
1
Upgrade the nutritional quality of food offered in school
lunches
3��������� Initiate
partnerships between local farms and school food-service
2
Incorporate in-school kitchen gardens and local food economy
education
4��������� Provide
meal preparation and food selection workshops
6/5������� Teach the significance of packaging and processed foods to
ecological and personal health
5/6������� Reinforce
learned concepts by extending education to parents
**The last two are so closely connected they could be
interchangeable.
2. As a
school board member, will you show your commitment to student health by initiating
an initial review and follow-up trial programs to improve food service
offerings (lunches, vending machines, extra-curricular fund-raising food sales)
������� YES
3.� The first step in changing practices is
educating.�� Will you support the
creation and adoption of food selection curriculum for students and parents
guided by sustainability and personal health concepts?� ������ YES
Environmental Hazards Comments: (sic)� I
believe you may have meant this to read �Healthy Schools Comments� thus I will
respond in that manner�
����������� The restriction of sweets and sodas
is the least important ranked item because I have heard years of high school students�
voices stating that they know when enough is enough.� At the elementary level, students do not have the freedom to
indulge, which is good.� They should be
offered smart snacks and ice cream choices: limits can be imposed by parents
through the money system that is in place.�
Middle school students can also be limited but education is key, as is
mentioned above.� Many who learn healthy
eating habits at home continue to implement them outside the home.� But everyone wants the option for an
occasional �treat,� and those should be allowed.� Nonetheless, limits are necessary.� Soda should not be available other than through a vending machine,
and fruit juices should be of the highest quality.� Organic selections for snacks and drinks could also be used.�
�����������
����������� Even as a former LCPS student, I
thought that it would be nice to use our local merchants where possible for
produce and fruit.� Both regular and
summer school sessions could take advantage of local growers� products � all of
us know how much better food tastes when it is fresh.� Furthermore, students would probably be more prone to buy those
fresher selections.� Farmers� markets
participants do not always sell their goods, thus LCPS could buy from
them.� The end result would benefit
everyone.� Perhaps some of the
agricultural elements could come back into the LCPS curriculum as well.� The newer high school model has courtyard space
that is sometimes not used� and LCPS encourages large land purchases for its
schools.� Couldn�t a for-credit class be
taught that would allow gardens (food and flower) and trees to be maintained by
students in these areas?� Another source
of pride could be instilled by students that have �other� interests.
Once again, school placement and bus times link to
this feature of the questionnaire.�
Schools can help to promote community health as well as that of the
students.� If children do not spend a
significant amount of time on a bus, conceivably they have more time to play
outside.� The EPA contends that school
citing and community support can provide safe areas for children to walk and
bike to school, which would also better the wellness of people.� A great example of the idea of promoting
health with exercise is at Lovettsville Elementary � the PTO decided to build a
track; the community and parents donated funds; the track was built sooner than
anticipated; and now parents and community members walk the track during
practices, events, whenever...��� A
school and its community worked together toward promoting health among all of
its citizens.
C.� Green Schools��
�Green building� is a loosely defined collection of land-use, building design, and construction strategies that reduce the environmental impacts that buildings have on their surroundings.� Conventionally constructed buildings consume more of our resources than necessary, generate large amounts of waste, and expose inhabitants to environmental hazards through their materials and design.� In addition to consideration of materials and architecture, building location & transportation are considered in designing a green building Loudoun County Schools is poised to follow the lead of Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery Counties in adopting school construction & maintenance standards and policies that improve school performance, save money in life-cycle costs, and provide a model for other Loudoun industries to follow. 4. Would you support changes to the school building standards to accommodate sustainable features that would provide a healthier environment for our children, use resources sustainably and generate life cycle cost savings for the taxpayers? �������������� YES
3.
To
move Loudoun County Public Schools toward using �greener� strategies for school
buildings.
The LCPS administration building is Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, and the Technology/Life
Science Campus (Monroe Advanced Technology Academy), which is in its planning
stages, is envisioned to incorporate Green Building design features.� There are other organizations that can also
help LCPS to become �greener.�� Recently
BP Solar has acknowledged a relationship with Maryland schools, and its
Frederick office is not far from Loudoun County.� The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also has a number of
publications pertaining to �smart growth� and school construction, as well as
grants that are available.� For example,
the EPA�s publication entitled Travel and Environmental Implications of
School Siting discusses many of the ways that a community can be enhanced
through making schools �fit�. Furthermore, a better quality of life can be
achieved, especially when it comes to wellness.� Because schools try to educate students on all levels, studies
such as these that support wellness, health, academics, and family life should
be considered as we move toward creating a better world for all.� These opportunities should not be overlooked
anywhere in Loudoun County, especially when considering what development will
occur on the rural landscapes that remain.�
Please spend some time looking at the following sites: the first
pertaining to the EPA, http://www.epa.gov/livability/about_sg.htm
, and the second, to LEED, http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1586
; let me know what you think.
We recognize that the changes we have proposed will require
time to plan and execute.�� We intend to
support school board members who provide the guidance and vision to promote the
necessary policies and initiatives with wisdom and determination.
LCPS currently maintains an Energy Education Program whose mission has been "to reduce the use of energy throughout the school system". LCPS could expand the mission and personnel of this office to develop resources that will embed sustainable development principles in school buildings, the curriculum and the community. A school-wide Sustainable Schools initiative would encompass evaluation of current practices and recommendations with respect to global warming emissions, waste streams, and natural resource depletion in the facilities construction, maintenance and operation systems. It would emphasize problem solving and respect for the interdependent web of life, and foster commitment to sustainable development within the curriculum. School staff could make use of the resources that already exist for these types of evaluations and programs. 5) Would you support the creation of a school system-wide Sustainable Schools initiative? YES 6) Initiatives that support sustainability have positive effects beyond their environmental focus:� cost savings, improved school performance, student and staff health, etc.�� However, there may also be obstacles to pursuing sustainable strategies in our school system.�� What impediments do you foresee and how would you deal with them? �������������� Impediments exist because sometimes people do not listen or choose not to listen to new ideas because they may be hard to implement � expense is also a factor.� However, instructional practices within LCPS change, and often have a high price tag, so building practices should be allowed to change too.� LCPS currently enforces energy-saving programs; as a teacher I sat through the required faculty meetings concerning energy and received numerous emails giving directions as to what to do when leaving school for the day.� LCPS could do more and use available grants to start building green sooner than later.� The EPA�s research suggests that if we move toward siting schools in a more environmentally-friendly manner, communities improve as do children�s health and wellness.� If a school board member conducts research, rather than waits for the research to come to her through staff, people may be more willing �to buy into� this venture because the LCPS staff and school board are equally informed.� I am very interested in looking at these design changes for more sustainable schools � especially when I have seen the number of grants that are available. Sustainable Schools Initiative Comments: �������������� See above.Additional Comments:�������������� I have always admired LCPS for wanting to move forward � the time has come for the school system to move forward in a green manner.� Plans should be made now to incorporate more environmentally conscious building practices for the new schools coming online in the future.� Both boards in Loudoun � Board of Supervisors and School Board � need to work together to make this investment happen.� Taxpayers will more than likely appreciate elected officials using outside resources to build schools that will better suit our communities.� By using �greener strategies�, LCPS educates its students in more ways than the usual� the building itself will reflect a commitment to a better future.� What is inside the school is important, but everything that goes into the building from its genesis should reflect a global consciousness.