IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1280 

Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and 

ideals of National Healthy Schools Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 20, 2010 

Mr. TONKO (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BISHOP of New 

York, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. 

FUDGE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KIRK, Ms. LEE

of California, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 

Mr. MURPHY of New York, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and 

Ms. SCHWARTZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Education and Labor 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for 

the goals and ideals of National Healthy Schools Day. 

Whereas there are approximately 55,000,000 children and 

7,000,000 adults who spend their days in the Nation’s 

more than 125,000 public and private schools; 

Whereas children spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per 

week in school; 

Whereas one-third of public school principals report that 

some environmental factors interfere with classroom instruction; 


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•HRES 1280 IH 

Whereas environmental hazards that are common in schools 

include unchecked renovations, pesticide misapplications, 

unsafe drinking water, and indoor air pollutants such as 

mold infestations; 

Whereas poor air quality and ventilation problems and poor 

indoor environmental quality is associated with a wide 

range of problems that include poor concentration, respiratory illnesses, learning difficulties, and cancer; 

Whereas about 9 percent of the Nation’s students have asthma, which is a leading cause of school absenteeism and 

is aggravated by poor air quality and ventilation problems; 

Whereas school facilities with poor building quality can result 

in lower test scores, poor attendance, alienated students, 

low staff morale, high teacher attrition, the inability to 

provide specialized curricula, reduced learning time, distractions from learning, reduced ability to meet special 

needs, lack of technological proficiency, health problems 

for students and staff, and safety hazards; 

Whereas healthy and high performance schools are designed 

to improve indoor environments and reduce energy and 

maintenance costs, improve lighting, and reduce exposures to toxic substances and provide a healthier and 

safer learning environment for children and improved 

academic achievement and well-being; 

Whereas healthy and high performance schools are designed 

with specific environmental factors in mind, such as adequate, safe space for outdoor activities, low-emission construction materials, pollutant source controls, ventilation, 

durable and easy-to-clean surfaces and floors, moisture 

and mold controls, temperature and humidity controls, 


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acoustics and noise controls, ergonomics, safety and security, lighting design maximizing natural light, and energy 

conservation; 

Whereas National Healthy Schools Day is an important day 

to celebrate and promote healthy and green school environments for all children; 

Whereas National Healthy Schools Day is coordinated by 

Healthy Schools Network in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council of Educational Facility Planners—International and is celebrated on the first day of School Building Week; and 

Whereas, April 26, 2010, would be an appropriated day to 

designate as ‘‘National Healthy Schools Day’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Healthy Schools Day; 

4 (2) recognizes the effect that poor quality build5 ings have on students’ health and performance and 

6 the importance of having healthy school buildings for 

7 the Nation’s schoolchildren to attend; 

8 (3) supports energy efficiency and the use of re9 newable resources in schools; and 

10 (4) supports the goals of State educational 

11 agencies and local educational agencies of modern12 izing, renovating, and repairing their facilities to be13 come healthier and safer places to learn. 

Æ 


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