Action Steps for Implementing a Healthy School Environment

A school’s environment is the thread that connects the multitude of activities on a campus. In many respects this thread is almost invisible, yet everyone experiences its influence. Positive social relationships and attitudes about school are as important to the environment as are safe and well-kept buildings and grounds. A safe, clean, and well-maintained school with a positive psychosocial climate and culture can foster school connectedness, which in turn boosts student and staff health as well as students’ educational achievement.

A school’s physical environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds, such as noise, temperature, and lighting as well as physical, biological, or chemical agents. The alarming increase in the number of students with asthma is one problem that may, in part, be affected by poor physical conditions in schools. The psychosocial school environment encompasses the attitudes, feelings, and values of students and staff. Physical and psychological safety, positive interpersonal relationships, recognition of the needs and success of the individual, and support for learning are all part of the psychosocial environment. Other factors that can affect a school’s environment include: the economy; social, cultural, and religious influences; geography; socioeconomic status of students’ families; tax bases; and legal, political, and social institutions.

Creating a healthy school environment requires the involvement of virtually everyone in the school—students, administrators, teachers, custodial and maintenance staff, school counselors, school nurses, nutrition services workers. In addition, schools need involvement of families and environmental, public health, public safety, public welfare, and other community agencies.

School administrators have the overall responsibility for a school’s physical and psychosocial environment. Superintendents have the responsibility for complying with laws, rules, and education code sections that affect the school environment. In many districts, the administrative role might be delegated to facilities coordinators, risk managers, or environmental health specialists.

Creating and sustaining a healthy school environment requires commitment from everyone. As with any systemic reorganization, change takes time—sometimes years. Over time, schools will identify problems, then analyze them and make necessary changes. Even as schools find successful solutions to one set of problems, new challenges arise. Thus, a school’s attention to the healthfulness of its environment will evolve and adapt to changing circumstances, while never losing sight of educating their students. Below you will find action steps and resources to help build a healthy school environment into a CSHP.

Actions for Schools

Provide leadership and administrative support for creating and sustaining a healthy school environment
Conduct a site assessment of the schools physical and social environment to determine the school’s needs
Establish a set of measurable goals and objectives and design activities around improving the school’s physical and social environment
Develop and use a data collection system for assessing and monitoring the school environment
Create a school environmental health and safety team, that includes PTA members, school officials, teachers, custodians, business and community leaders, and law enforcement officials
Develop, implement and enforce policies and a plan for creating and sustaining a healthy school environment that clearly define acceptable and unacceptable school conditions
Designate or hire a coordinator to handle school safety and school building issues
Help teachers develop activities for students that emphasize the importance of an overall healthy school environment
Involve the parents and community about any school construction or renovation plans and/or policies regarding school safety
Emphasize the importance of communication between teachers and students which includes issues of listening to feelings and physical ailments
Empower students by involving them in planning, creating, and sustaining a school culture of safety and respect
Evaluate healthy school activities periodically to assess progress toward achieving your goals and objectives and use results to revise, improve and strengthen your program
Actions for Families and Communities

Identify stakeholders within the community who have an interest in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy school environment
Create a school environmental health and safety team, that includes PTA members, school officials, teachers, custodians, business and community leaders, and law enforcement officials
Promote the importance of overall health, well-being, and social competence among youth, especially youth at risk
Write to newspapers, speak at school board meetings and policymakers about the health, academic and cost benefits a healthy school environment would provide
Support legislation that limits the availability of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and firearms to young people by providing public testimony at the local and state governmental levels
Support legislation that endorses the improvement of environmental health by providing public testimony at the local and state governmental levels
Advocate for more funding for school construction and renovations
Involve students in letter writing campaigns to lobby local, state, or national decision-makers about specific policy changes
Request parenting and student courses or workshops on communication skills, discipline, and building children’s self-esteem
Volunteer to become the parent liaison to address school safety and building issues in your child’s school
Actions for State and National Organizations and Colleges and Universities

Foster collaboration among schools, parents, researchers and expert community members (i.e., environmentalists, law enforcement officials) with an interest in healthy school environments
Develop trainings that help environmental specialists and school personnel work together effectively in school settings
Identify and share examples of exemplary school environments
Collect data and support research on the status and impact of the school environment