Negotiating Indoor Air—Case Report on Negotiation of Teachers' Union,School Board on Air Contaminants

Abstract

School districts increasingly understand the need for an indoor air quality plan, but may have difficulty in producing a plan that all necessary parties will accept. This article provides a case study of how one Massachusetts school district, after experiencing environmental problems in an elementary school, worked with parents and unions to develop a comprehensive indoor air quality plan.

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References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westborough,_Massachusetts, accessed March 16, 2009.

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/town_schools/stateid/MA/townid/7634, accessed March 16, 2009.

Baldwin Union Free School District. Indoor Air Quality Manual (Baldwin, New York: Baldwin Union Free School District, Sept. 1999). http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan/articles/IAQManual.pdf. This booklet identifies ways to improve a school's indoor air quality and discusses alternative methods for managing this issue. It includes sources and prevention, training of staff, renovation and repair, painting procedures, animals in classrooms, barrier matting, vacuum cleaners, IPM, chemical hygiene program, univents, IAQ flow chart, board policy, administrative procedures, and report forms.

Westborough Public Schools at http://westborough.ma.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?section-1, accessed March 16, 2009.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “IAQ Tools for Schools Program, 2006 Excellence Awards Winners,” news release at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tfsawards2006.htm#Westborough_School_District, accessed March 16, 2009.