1. A Healthful and Safe School Environment
Protecting the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty, and Staff

2. Rationale
Society recognizes that schools are responsible for providing a healthful and safe school environment that optimizes opportunities for learning and growth.
Schools are a major part of the environment of students and school staff.

3. Rationale (continued)
Twenty percent of the U.S. population, nearly 55 million people, spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools.
Children spend up to 24,000 hours within school buildings, amounting to 15 percent of a child’s entire life up to the age of 18.
Millions of teachers and other school staff spend their working days in the school environment.

4. School Environment
Environment – “The multitude of dynamic conditions that are external to a person.”
Two types:
Supportive: creates healthful choices or protects the well being of the student.
Non-supportive: detracts from commitment for healthful behavior.

5. 7 Physical Conditions Necessary for Optimal Learning & Development
School size
Lighting
Color choices
Temperature/ventilation
Noise control
Sanitation/Cleanliness
Accessibility

6. Positive Emotional Environment
Feelings, expectations, experiences that affect students’ development.
Warm and nonthreatening learning environments promote health and learning.
Teacher’s personality and behavior determine emotional climate.

7. Positive Emotional Environment (continued)
Emotional security, a feeling of freedom from anxiety in which individuals feel that they can present and express themselves without fear of ridicule, threat, or belittling is also part of the overall positive emotional environment in schools.
Supportive and affirmative behaviors should be taught and modeled.

8. Positive Emotional Environment (continued)
Schools can promote attitudes of respect, understanding and sensitivity by recognizing and accepting differences.
Effective classroom management is essential because it promotes student achievement and development of self-control as well providing the optimal environment for learning and development.

9. Responsibility for Health is Shared by All
School personnel
Teachers
Administrators
Staff
Students
Parents
Community
Government

10. Teacher’s Responsibilities
Proper reporting of accidents/injuries
Assessing/correcting potential safety hazards
Providing proper first aid when needed
Establishing safety procedures in the classroom
Providing appropriate supervision of students at all times.

11. Protecting Students’ Health and Safety
School violence
School security measures
Sexual harassment
Drug use
Tobacco Use
Bloodborne pathogens

12. Providing Proper Nutrition
Shared responsibility among all community members
School food service should serve healthful foods
Following guidelines, such as the food guide pyramid, provide low-cost funding for students.

13. Health Promotion for Staff
Rationale: An appropriate response is needed as a result of higher health care costs and health insurance.
School health promotion programs have the potential to:
Decrease health care costs for teachers and staff
Decrease absenteeism
Improve morale and increase job satisfaction

14. Health Promotion for Staff (continued)
Health promotion programming includes:
Health assessments
Health education
Health related physical fitness activities