Legislative
Alert: ROEs Still Unfunded
Despite a July 1 deadline, as of June 3,
the bill authorizing funding for the Regional Offices of Education, HB
2663, still remains unsigned by the Governor.
July 1 regional superintendents were sworn in again to fulfill
their duties supporting education and enforcing their important role in
ensuring healthy and safe school facilities.
Please contact the governor and tell him to
sign House Bill 2663 to ensure that the Regional Offices of Education
can properly do their job. Call today at (217) 782-0244 or send him an
automatic e-mail from our Web site at www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/contactgov.htm.
(You can also use the link below)
(Send
the Governor a Message)New
Resources on School Environmental Health Issues
The American Association of School
Administrators' spring edition of Governance and Leadership focused on
“Asthma Wellness: Keeping Children with Asthma in School and
Learning.”
www.aasa.org/publications/sgl/Spring_2003.pdf
The Schools Group of the Presidential Task
Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety has completed an
inventory of federal school environmental health activities.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/Inventory.htm/$file/Inventory.pdf
Welcome to Toxtown
The US National Library of Medicine has
developed an interactive guide to commonly encountered toxic
substances, including a section on schools.
www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
EPA
Guide to Protecting Children's Health in Schools
This
guide is an interactive web based software program that will allow
school decision makers to understand potential hazards and aid the
administrator in protecting the environment and the health of those who
use the school. The guide will discuss what those hazards might be, how
to test for them, and how to remedy problems found.
www.epa.gov/seahome/child.html
School
Environmental Health In the News
The Star and the Daily Herald
ran an editorial by
Mark Bishop
as the Healthy Schools Campaign weighed in on the Governor’s budget
proposal to eliminate funding for the Regional Superintendents. Click
below to view the complete letter:
www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/news-2003-06a-letter-to-editor.htm
The Environmental Working Group recently
released a report “
Reading
, Writing and Risk” which shows that the
children who attend school in portable classrooms may be at significant
risk of exposure to airborne toxins, including formaldehyde and other
cancer-causing chemicals. Full
report at:
www.ewg.org/reports/readingwritingrisk/pressrelease.html
Acknowledging that obesity is
"epidemic" among New York City schoolchildren, the city's
Education Department is reducing the fat content in the 800,000 meals
it serves daily and is banning candy, soda and other saccharine snacks
from school vending machines. Click below for the full story:
www.nytimes.com/2003/06/24/nyregion/24CND-NUTR.html?ex=1057546387&ei=1&en=f5ef58726e24c5ba
Kraft Foods, pressured by public outrage,
activist lawyers and even Wal-Mart Stores, said Tuesday it will cut
portion sizes, cease marketing in schools and reduce the fatty content
of many of its foods to fight the nation's obesity crisis.
www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-fin-kraft02.html
A new poll recent by Harvard examined the
public’s attitudes towards government’s effort to address the
problem of obesity. When it comes
to fighting childhood obesity, most Americans welcome more government
involvement, the poll said. More than eight in 10 Americans support
providing healthier school lunches and three-quarters said they back
efforts to fight childhood obesity, even if it meant an increase in
their taxes." For a summary click below:
www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-06-11-obese-study_x.htm
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June/July 2003 E-Newsletter
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