School Environment

about the school environment in the Healthy Schools Act

Creating and sustaining an environmentally-friendly school environment is essential to the health and wellness of students and staff, as well as the health of the local environment and community. And environmental education programs, like school gardens, have positive effects on students’ learning and can provide fun, hands-on learning opportunities.

That’s why the Healthy Schools Act requires schools to become more “green,” including by encouraging school gardens, and by creating new environmental health and safety standards.

put the Act into action!

Title V of the Healthy Schools Act sets up requirements to help the D.C. school system “go green.” To comply with the Act, D.C. Public Schools D.C. must:

1. Establish an Environmental Programs Office within the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization to:

  • run recycling, energy reduction, and integrated pest management programs at DCPS schools
  • test drinking water for lead
  • make sure schools comply with EPA standards for indoor air quality and lead removal.

The Environmental Programs Office also will encourage more environmentally-friendly practices in building construction, school meals, and school cleaning procedures.

Title V also directs District agencies to:

1. Establish an environmental literacy plan for DCPS and public charter schools. This plan will be developed by the District Department of the Environment, in cooperation with DCPS, Department of Parks and Recreation, the State Board of Education, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

2. Establish a School Gardens Program within OSSE. This program will give grants to DCPS and charter schools to start gardens; provide curricula, technical assistance, and other support; and keep data on the locations and types of gardens.

Schools are encouraged to include demonstration compost piles in their gardens.

3. Allow schools to sell – and allow students to consume – food grown in school gardens. Food must be grown in safe soil. To determine safety, contact the University of the District of Columbia, Cooperative Extension Service at (202) 274-7115 for soil testing. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides guidance on safe growing and handling of school garden produce for consumption (pdf).

4. Meet LEED Gold Level certification for school buildings. Whenever possible, new and renovated buildings should be “green,” according to LEED.

resources

  • D.C. Schoolyard Greening. This program of the DC Environmental Education Consortium aims to provide teachers and the community with inspiration to begin a schoolyard greening project on their school grounds.
  • Gardening grant opportunities compiled by the D.C. Farm to School Network.
  • Kids Garden News: There are multiple funding opportunities focused on different areas of gardening.
  • Annie’s Grants for Gardens: This grant provides funds for schools and community gardens to purchase gardening tools, seeds, or other needed supplies.
  • The Fruit Tree 101 Program: Recipients must be public schools that own the proposed planting site, are committed to aftercare as needed, and utilize the orchard strictly for the benefit of the school and its students. Orchards are often valued between $5,000 and $10,000.
  • Operation Green Plant: Free Seed Grants: Grants of 100 to 1,000 vegetable, flower, or herb seed packets to encourage citizen efforts to preserve America’s lands and resources.