Indoor Environments Division has several cooperative agreements
with organizations that share a common goal of addressing indoor
air quality (IAQ) issues. Working together to resolve IAQ issues,
these organizations « the EPA’s Cooperative Partners « include
organizations such as the American Lung Association, the National
Safety Council, the National Association of Counties, and the
National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA
HIN).
NEA HIN welcomes the newest addition to
the Cooperative Partner Network « The American Association
of School Administrators (AASA). AASA was recently awarded
a cooperative agreement with the EPA’s Indoor Environments
Division. This three-year project will be used at AASA to
increase the awareness of IAQ in the nation’s school systems.
Assuming the new role of Project Director for the EPA project
will be Kari M. Arfstrom. She accepted the promotion after
serving as Legislative Specialist for AASA the past two years.
The organization, with a staff of 50, is
one of elementary and secondary education’s longstanding professional
organizations. Founded in 1865, AASA is the professional organization
for over 16,500 educational leaders across North America and
in many other countries. The four major focus areas for AASA
are:
- Improving the condition of children and
youth - Preparing schools and school systems for
the 21st century - Connecting schools and communities
- Enhancing the quality and effectiveness
of school leaders
AASA will work with its members to voluntarily
address IAQ issues and to offer low-cost or no-cost solutions
to many problems that currently exist in our school buildings.
The EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit has been made available
to school districts for implementation. The Kit walks site-based
staff through a variety of simple checklists that will help
ensure good IAQ in classrooms, offices and other public areas.
NEA HIN hopes that we can work with AASA
to resolve these important IAQ issues that affect our students’
and school employee’s health, comfort and well-being.
For more information about AASA, access
the AASA webpage at: http://www.aasa.org/.