Act 125 - School Environmental Health
The ABC’s to Healthy & Safer School Buildings
Act 125
Act 125’s goal is to improve school indoor air quality, reduce hazardous exposures, and help schools earn the Certificate of Achievement for Environmental Health in Schools.
- Text of Act 125 (2000 Vermont General Assembly)
Act 125 is one of a kind in the nation, setting standards that:
- address the issues of air quality and other environmental factors that may affect health of children, staff and teachers in our schools
- recognize the importance of sustaining a healthy school environment through adoption of a model environmental health management plan & policy.
More information about student performance and indoor air quality information see the EPA publication: Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance.
Public Information Clearinghouse
Vermont’s Act 125 also directed the Commissioners of Health, of Education, and of Buildings and General Services to create and maintain this Department of Health website. The information on this site provides schools with a clearinghouse of information to help identify potential sources of environmental pollution, and operate the schools in a way that create a healthy indoor air.What we provide here are actions to take, a model plan & policy to adopt to your school situation, and links to resources like those found in Best Practices.
Act 125 was based, in part, on the fact that, while “information on least-toxic and nontoxic materials, non-chemical pest control methods and appropriate maintenance practices and standards is widely available through governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations and professional societies,” it was “not readily accessible through a single information source.”
Envision Program
The Envision Program will give schools the tools, training, technical assistance, and referrals to earn the annual Certificate of Achievement while improving their school environment. The ENVISION program legislation intended that:
- the Department of Health, “in consultation with other state agencies, will compile and make available to all Vermont schools, information about materials and practices commonly used in school operation and construction that may compromise indoor air quality or negatively impact human health.”
- schools will receive resources, workshops referrals and technical assistance.
- the Department of Health will assist schools “to develop programs that will enable them to identify and eliminate potentially hazardous materials, isolate those hazardous materials that cannot be eliminated, and adequately ventilate school buildings to exhaust any pollutants and contaminants.”
Assistance is also offered to schools, including links to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools, which we recommend as a model for Vermont schools. The model uses no cost or low cost solutions to indoor air quality problems.
Act 125 Advisory Panel
The Legislature identified organizations who would serve as members of an Act 125 Advisory Panel. The Panel charge was to advise the Department of Health about implementation of a model plan and policy, identifying barriers, and discussing options for schools to use the best practices.
Act 125 Advisory Panel Members
- American Lung Association of Vermont
- Association of Vermont Recyclers
- ATC Associates Inc.
- Burlington Public Schools
- High Performance School Inititative
- University of Vermont School IPM Program
- Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
- Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services
- Vermont Department of Education
- Vermont Department of Health
- Vermont Parent Teachers Association (PTA)
- Vermont Principals’ Association
- Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG)
- Vermont School Board Association
- Vermont Superintendents’ Association
Teachers and Students
Students and Teachers can get involved with school environmental health management planning. The Association of Vermont Recyclers offers teachers resourde guides for recycling education in the classroom.
The School Waste Reduction Guide provides students and school personnel with step by step information on how to reduce hazardous materials and chemicals from a school.
Students can also check out an interactive learning tool, ToxTown, to find out more about health issues and the environment. (make sure to download the Flash Player plug-in, available on the Toxtown site, to view the interactive town).