Dec 19-Jan 20 Advisor

EXPOSING

10 CEA ADVISOR DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020

CEA, MEDIA PULL BACK CURTAIN ON SCHOOL HEALTH, SAFETY

long-term cost of deferring those maintenance objectives is that schools don’t function.” In one district, nearly 80 teachers contacted CEA about health-related issues and the possibility of filing workers’ compensation claims. In at least 10 other districts, CEA is representing members who have been exposed to mold and other toxins. Environmental concerns, including mold, have been reported in Bridgeport, East Hartford, Manchester, Naugatuck, Orange, Ridgefield, Stamford, and Westport, and the list grows. “Health consequences from mold and dust can be experienced throughout a person’s lifetime,” says CEA legal counsel Melanie Kolek, who has been advising hundreds of teachers suffering from workplace illnesses. “One of the biggest problems is that dangerous mold and other hazards may not always be visible. Just because you can’t readily see those contaminants doesn’t mean they don’t exist in schools, where children and teachers spend most of their time outside the home.” More than half of the 1,200 teachers responding to the survey reported conditions not conducive to teaching or learning. Of those, • 74 percent have experienced extreme hot and cold temperatures in their classrooms • 48 percent reported damaged walls, ceiling tiles, carpeting, or vents in their classrooms • 39 percent have experienced mold and mildew problems • 30 percent reported rodent droppings in their classrooms • 29 percent had leaking roofs • 7 percent experienced chemical spills or smells in their buildings Other conditions included insect infestations and exposure to asbestos, fiberglass, and radon. “These numbers are shocking, and what’s even more troublesome is that even though teachers are reporting the problems, only 29 percent say the issues have been fully addressed,” says Leake. “In some cases, they are being handled with Band-Aid fixes.” Legislative solutions sought “Devastating cuts to school budgets have not only slashed critical programs and undermined staff and students in some of the more obvious ways,” says Williams, “but now we are also seeing the impact of neglected facilities on teachers and children. As buildings get older, more repairs are required, and budgets need to include adequate funding to keep them in working order, free from toxins and other hazards that have given rise to health concerns.” “The situation in our classrooms should raise the ire of every parent,” says Leake, “and parents should join us in calling on lawmakers to stop putting our children and our teachers at risk and to pass laws to protect them from extreme temperatures in our schools. We need legislative solutions that ensure a timely, appropriate response to health and safety issues in our schools, including mold, lead, and extreme temperatures. We owe it to our children and teachers to provide the best teaching and learning environment possible.” Phase two of CEA’s “Is My School Sick” program launched at the start of this school year in

T hese are just a handful of comments from teachers responding to two statewide CEA surveys on issues ranging from poor indoor air quality to underfunding that plague Connecticut’s public schools. While teachers are overwhelmingly committed to their profession, the survey findings—reported by television, print, radio, and online media outlets this fall—shocked many viewers and highlighted the need to address structural, policy, and funding gaps jeopardizing the health and safety of both teachers and their students. Sick schools “From Stamford to Manchester and towns in between, teachers have been reporting illnesses related to environmental problems within their schools,” says CEA President Jeff Leake, referring to the first of two surveys CEA conducted this fall. “There are rodent droppings, cold temperatures, extreme heat, black mold, dust, asbestos, and other risks our students and teachers face every day—factors that have been found to be the underlying causes of respiratory ailments, rashes, sinus issues, worsening asthma and allergy symptoms, and more.” “Teachers have the highest rate of asthma among non-industrial occupations,” adds CEA Executive Director Donald Williams. “We must take action to ensure their health and safety.” In the first phase of CEA’s “Is My School Sick” pilot program, teachers at 33 schools in Manchester, Bridgeport, Stamford, Region 10, and Stratford recorded temperatures and humidity levels in their classrooms. In spite of the fact that outdoor temperatures in May and June of 2019 were not excessively high in the state, Fairfield county classrooms experienced 153 incidents of temperatures above 80.5 degrees, the highest of those at Cross Elementary School in Bridgeport, I’m 29 and still live with my parents and can’t afford to move out. Every morning, I find rodent feces in my pre-K classroom, where students work and play. Sticky mousetraps under the radiators with mice sometimes stuck inside and squealing. Mice move along the radiators while students are in the classroom. Students are vomiting and complaining of headaches and feeling like they are going to pass out. Sometimes in the winter, it’s warmer outside. I bought all my own bookshelves and what I need for science education. They buy nothing for us.

where teachers recorded six days of classroom temperatures over 100 degrees, with the highest at 108.2. “Some of our schools are over a century old and are in dire need of maintenance,” says Bridgeport Education Association President Gary Peluchette. “Some have windows that don’t fully open, and classrooms can become saunas, forcing the district to dismiss school early.” Too hot to think Excessive heat can lead to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and dehydration and can cause greater health risks for those who suffer from asthma, allergies, and other health-related conditions, Leake points out, adding that it can also make it difficult to learn. “When classrooms are too hot, students can’t do their best work. They can’t learn, and teachers can’t teach.” Indeed, research shows a correlation between room temperature and educational achievement. A study of PSAT scores of 10 million students found that moving from a school with no air- conditioned classrooms to a school with all air-conditioned classrooms reduced the negative impact on test scores by approximately 78 percent. A University of Tulsa study found that lower classroom temperatures and improved air ventilation improved learning ability and student performance by as much as 10–20 percent. Math scores rose 2.8 percent when temperatures fell from 78 degrees to 67 degrees. Peluchette notes that most Bridgeport schools lack air conditioning. “We have 37 schools, and only 17 have air conditioners. Even those that do are not always keeping up

with the maintenance required for the units to run. The district doesn’t have the funds to maintain existing units or install new ones. Large air conditioners have been purchased, but the district says there are no funds to have them installed. We have buildings that get up over 100 degrees, and it’s oppressive. If you think children are going to learn in a humid classroom that’s over 100 degrees, you’re sadly mistaken. They’re tired and have no energy. Who has energy in 100-degree conditions?” “It’s excruciating for students and teachers,” says fellow Bridgeport teacher Mia Dimbo, who has developed upper respiratory issues over the course of her time at Cross School. “Students are going to the nurse, feeling like they’re going to pass out. If you want students to effectively learn, they need to be in a well-ventilated room so that no one is getting sick or going to the hospital. This is a situation affecting education enormously. It’s not going to be fixed overnight, but if we can put a spotlight out there, we can push some buttons.” Trouble in the air Teachers responding to CEA’s “Is My School Sick” survey also reported water seeping up through floors, pouring down windows, and flooding classrooms when it rains. They described moldy, stained, sagging, and broken ceiling tiles. “You walk into a building where things are falling apart or not working properly and you wonder, ‘Are these the values of the community?’” says Manchester Education Association President Kate Dias, a math teacher. “The

CEA worked exclusively with

NBC Connecticut on an investigative report on these issues. See the news coverage at cea.org .