The Issaquah (WA) School District formed an Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Management Plan in an effort to monitor and improve the overall quality of the indoor environment in their school district.

The objectives of the management plan include the repair and maintenance of ventilation equipment, the reduction of indoor air pollutants through preventative measures, and the formation of an effective communication strategy to effectively respond to indoor environmental quality concerns – including communicating the progress, investigation details, and the problem's resolution.

Candy Hammer, Issaquah School District's Facilities Services Supervisor, stresses the plan is a "living document" and one which will change over time. "It will be modified as improvements are discovered," Hammer said. "We have been committed to green cleaning and following LEED guide lines for the last 6 years. When we started the school by school walk through we found out that it was working and we are doing a good job and we still have a ways to go."

The plan breaks down the roles and responsibilities of the IEQ Management Plan for the IEQ Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator, The Safety and Healthy Work Environment Team, maintenance personnel, and the custodial staff.

The custodial staff approaches their responsibilities in a Green Cleaning manner, using procedures that control dust, mold and bacteria; combat VOCs; and use chemicals that fall within our definition of Green.

"The plan incorporates instructions for filing an environmental concern within a school and protocol for the district to follow in responding to those concerns, outlines the roles and responsibilities of all parties in keeping a safe and healthy environment, and states the mission of the Issaquah School District," said Hammer. She recommends reaching out to all interested parties when forming a committee to launch such a plan, and use existing roadmaps to assist the effort. "Form a committee representative of all stakeholders and get their input. Use resources such as Tools for Schools developed by EPA."

The plan continues to detail policies and procedures regarding many influences on IEQ at the school district, from animals on property to school bus idling procedures; as well as a breakdown of staff responsibilities to maintaining IEQ and a "checklist" of "good housekeeping practices for staff to keep the indoor environment healthy." These tips provide all with useful information such as the negative impacts of scented candles and how to rotate, clean and store student artwork.

Like any good communication plan, the Issaquah School District used input from a diverse group of collaborators to formulate its policies and procedures. "Our management plan is the result of a collaborative effort among our IEQ committee, which includes representatives from our teacher pool, the teachers’ union, administration, maintenance and custodians," Hammer said. "Although many parts of the plan were borrowed from existing management plans in other districts, developing our plan provided a focus and ensured that the interests of all parties were met."

Accessibility to the plan is an important step to implementing and maintaining an effective level of IEQ management. "Today, the plan is available to all students, staff and community members and is posted on the intranet," said Hammer.

And in that spirit of sharing and collaboration, Hammer has given us permission to provide DestinationGreen readers with a copy of the Issaquah School District IEQ Management Plan here.

back