Health and Safety

Mankato Area Public Schools Win 2004 Excellence Award —Named National Leader in Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools

Working with the EPA to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for millions of American school children, more than 500 school representatives along with health, technical and environmental experts participated in the EPA’s 5th Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium in Washington, D.C., in December. At a national awards ceremony, the EPA recognized schools and individuals from across the country for their efforts to protect indoor air quality for kids at school.

At the Symposium, the EPA announced 22 schools and school districts nationally that have implemented exemplary Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) programs and honored them with the IAQ Tools for Schools Excellence Award. These award winners implemented effective programs in their schools ranging from designing a new school building free of toxins and other hazards to developing district-wide policies for continuous training and maintenance.

Mankato Area Public Schools is a second generation Excellence Award winner. Their team, led by Joe Meixl, has been mentored by New Ulm School District, which received an Excellence Award in 2000. Mankato has engaged the entire staff in the process of identifying and resolving IAQ issues. In addition to a convenient and efficient complaint process, the district sends an annual survey to each employee, thereby drawing attention to situations that had not yet generated complaints or illness. Training is similarly thorough. All administrators and principals receive an annual overview of the IAQ program, while frontline

The only other Minnesota school district receiving the 2004 Excellence Award was the Elk River Area Schools. A complete list of awardees is available at: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools.