Bolinsky Celebrates National Healthy Schools Day at State Capitol
HARTFORD- State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-Newtown) along with other state leaders, hosted a ceremony to commemorate National Healthy Schools Day at the State Capitol on April 30th to support a safe and healthy environment for all school children and personnel and the need to highlight the need for improved attention and protection of environmental health in schools for all school occupants.
The State Capitol ceremony honored the 10th anniversary of Connecticut’s school indoor air quality for school’s law by having displays throughout the building educating legislators on the importance of our schools’ air quality. Connecticut has been at the forefront of indoor air quality legislation over the last decade.
Newtown State Sen. John McKinney (R-26) was also on hand and was awarded the 2013 National Healthy Schools Hero Award for his “steadfast leadership in support of Green Cleaning legislation through the years.
Figures are hard to come by, but studies have estimated that a third or more of U.S. schools have mold, dust and other indoor air problems serious enough to provoke respiratory issues like asthma in students and teachers.
Indoor air affects more than health. A growing body of research suggests students also perform better in schools with healthier air.
“We must recognize that children spend up to half of their day in schools and their environs, and that schools have the potential to expose children to a broad array of hazards. Children may also be exposed to toxic contaminants when schools are site near environmental hazards, such as hazardous waste sites, or when schools are renovated or expanded,” said Rep. Bolinsky.
“These environmental problems contribute to absenteeism, child medication use, learning difficulties, sick building syndrome, staff turnover, and greater liability for school districts,” said Rep. Bolinsky. “Making the public aware of this growing health problem is vital to protecting our children.”
About one in 10 children in the United States now has asthma, which causes them to miss an average of four days of school a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rep. Bolinsky thanked Joellen Lawson of Newtown, for bringing this issue to his attention. Ms. Lawson’s 23-year teaching career was cut short due to the effects of long-term and acute mold exposure. She has been a tireless advocate for safe and healthy schools ever since.
Lawson was a special education teacher at McKinley Elementary School in Fairfield from ’91-‘98 which was permanently shut down in October 2000 due to severe mold contamination.