Bill Text: CA ACR145 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: California Healthy Schools Day.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 49-19)

Status: (Passed) 2010-04-30 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 13, Statutes of 2010. [ACR145 Detail]

Download: California-2009-ACR145-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: ACR 145	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Brownley
   (Coauthor: Assembly Member Skinner)
   (Coauthor: Senator Pavley)

                        MARCH 15, 2010

   Relative to California Healthy Schools Day.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 145, as introduced, Brownley. California Healthy Schools Day.
   This measure would recognize April 26, 2010, as California Healthy
Schools Day, and would encourage schools and school districts to
take proactive and preventative steps to create and maintain healthy
school environments.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, One in five Californians spend their days in California's
12,000 public and private schools, including more than six million
children who spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per week in school;
and
   WHEREAS, Over one-half of schools in the United States have
problems linked to unhealthy indoor air quality, according to the
United States Environmental Protection Agency, and some classrooms in
California have problems of inadequate ventilation, high
formaldehyde concentrations, moisture and mold, and toxic residues in
dust, according to a study by the State Air Resources Board; and
   WHEREAS, Children's developing bodies are more vulnerable to air
toxins because they breathe in more air per pound of body weight; and

   WHEREAS, Poor indoor environmental quality is associated with a
wide range of problems, including poor concentration, learning
difficulties, respiratory illnesses such as asthma, headaches,
fatigue, organ damage, and other serious health effects; and
   WHEREAS, An average of one out of every six schoolage children in
California has asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism from a
chronic illness, accounting for approximately 1.9 million missed
school days each year. Teachers and custodians have high rates of
work-related asthma, and report exposures to cleaning products as a
cause of their asthma; and
   WHEREAS, California schools lose an estimated $40 million per year
for pupils' asthma-related absences, and lose additional funds from
workers compensation claims related to exposure to or injury from
cleaning products; and
   WHEREAS, Hazardous ingredients in cleaning products contribute to
poor indoor air quality, as documented in numerous studies, and
conventional cleaning products often contain ingredients, including
fragrances and preservatives, known to cause cancer, asthma,
reproductive harm, organ damage, and other serious health effects;
and
   WHEREAS, The lack of full disclosure of chemical ingredients in
cleaning products makes it difficult to know what hazards are in
cleaning products used in schools; and
   WHEREAS, Schools should choose less toxic cleaning products, and
cleaning products should be used during periods of time when children
are not present and when adequate ventilation is available; and
   WHEREAS, There are hundreds of widely available and
cost-competitive cleaning products that are less toxic and do not
contain ingredients known to cause cancer, asthma, reproductive harm,
aquatic toxicity, and other environmental hazards; and
   WHEREAS, Training for school staff in the use of less toxic
cleaners is available at no cost through numerous vendors, nonprofit
organizations, and public agencies; and
   WHEREAS, Research has shown improved indoor air quality provides a
healthier and safer learning environment for children, teachers, and
staff, and also improves academic achievement and well-being; and
   WHEREAS, Schools that have switched to less toxic cleaning
products that do not contain ingredients known to cause cancer,
asthma, reproductive harm, organ damage, aquatic toxicity, and other
environmental hazards have improved indoor air quality, reduced
absenteeism, lowered their costs, and acted proactively to safeguard
the health of pupils and staff; and
   WHEREAS, Actions that schools take to improve indoor air quality
and switch to less toxic cleaning products can be eligible for
recognition as part of broader green, healthy, and high performance
school certification programs; and
   WHEREAS, April 26, 2010, is National Healthy Schools Day,
sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the
United States Department of Energy, and more than 35 other
organizations, and is observed by communities across the country to
celebrate and promote healthy school environments for all children
through the use of the United States Environmental Protection Agency'
s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program, focusing in the year
2010 on the use of less toxic cleaning products that help reduce
pollutants from indoor air; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved, by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
recognizes April 26, 2010, as California Healthy Schools Day; and be
it further
   Resolved, That schools are encouraged to take proactive and
preventative steps to create and maintain healthy school
environments, including training all staff on best maintenance
practices, developing and implementing self-assessments and indoor
environmental quality management plans such as following the guidance
provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program, using less toxic
cleaning products, implementing integrated pest management programs,
and ensuring adequate ventilation, as recommended by the State Air
Resources Board and the State Department of Public Health; and be it
further
   Resolved, That school districts are encouraged to consider
purchasing less toxic cleaning products that do not contain
ingredients known to cause cancer, asthma, reproductive harm, organ
damage, aquatic toxicity, and other environmental hazards that are
available at discounted rates through cooperative purchasing
agreements or other public procurement entities; and be it further
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit
copies of this resolution to the Superintendent of Public
Instruction; the Secretary for Education; the Directors of the State
Department of Public Health, the State Air Resources Board, the
Department of General Services, and the California Environmental
Protection Agency; and to the author for appropriate distribution.