Every parent sends his or her child off to school with great hopes for a good education and a chance for a bright future, At the same time, parents expect that these bright, smiling, curious and energetic children will be returned to them at the end of the day in reasonably the same shape that the child started out. Imagine the shock, anger and sense of betrayal which occurs when the child returns home sick or injured from some preventable event or exposure in school. Is there a way to lessen the chances that such events will take place?

The Legislature has placed the authority to regulate and inspect health and safety matters in primary and secondary schools with the Washington State Board of Health under RCW 70.05.010 and 43.20.050 as well as Washington State Board of Health Regulations under Washington Administrative code (WAC) 246-366. The local health department is responsible for enforcing the Rules and Regulations of the State Board of Health for Primary and Secondary Schools. The rules provide for initial site inspections, plan review, and routine inspections of schools.

Site reviews cover environmental hazards from toxic materials, noise, adjacent property hazards, etc. Plan reviews cover all areas included under the regulations and guidelines, including the Safer Schools Appendix of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) School Facilities Construction Manual (available from the OSPI Facilities Department). Routine inspections cover plumbing, water supply, fixtures, sewage disposal, ventilation (indoor air quality [IAQ]), heating, temperature control, sound control, food handling, and safety.

One person, Richard E. Ellis, J.D., M.S._, R.S., in the State Department of Health is responsible for the School and Living Environments Programs. Since it is physically impossible for him to personally do these inspections, he has worked to train local environmental health specialists to conduct these inspections. These people are typically registered sanitarians with college degrees mostly in the sciences.

A School Facilities Steering Committee and several subcommittees were convened and met from June 1996 through September 1997. The committee included representatives from the Department of Health, OSPI, Labor and Industries, teachers, superintendents, school business officials, school maintenance personnel, and Washington State PTA. These committees addressed several issues including a protocol for school inspections, fees charged for inspections and draft safety guidelines. (The safety guidelines are still being refined and piloted.)

Under the existing law, the State Board of Health is required to adopt rules and standards for health hazards in schools which local health departments enforce. A fee is required to cover the cost to provide the surveillance required. Because of the great diversity in sizes, locations and types of schools, and the demographics of local populations, fees charged to schools for the inspections must be set locally.

The inspection protocol agreed upon by the School Facilities Steering Committee Health and Safety Standards Sub-Committee is designed to provide a standardized way for schools to be initially approached, communicated with, and then inspected by local health agencies.

Inspection frequency was also discussed by the sub-committee. After discussion, the group agreed that either an annual inspection or a 2-3 year frequency with some additional co-ordination and follow-up in between should be adequate.

The first thing that parents can do is to let school officials know that providing a safe and healthy environment for their children to learn in is a top priority. School board members who adopt school budgets need to know that parents think school inspections are important enough to allocate dollars and personnel to deal with them.

To become informed, the PTA can ask the local school program managers or environmental health directors to come to a PTA meeting and review the rules and inspection process. (This person can be found by calling the local health department and asking for the person(s) who does school inspections.) Involve school personnel in this discussion and presentation to help establish a climate of trust. Be sure to keep foremost in mind that parents and school personnel want the same thing for students—a quality education for children. Once trust is established, parents can ask to become involved in the inspection process and in responding to the recommendations. In some areas, the site council may be involved with the inspection process and setting priorities In resolving any recommendations.

 In dealing with public officials, there are some universal principles which apply in addition to being informed.

• Don't underestimate public officials. With very rare exceptions, they will be honest, intelligent, and will want to do the right thing. Your job is to inform them of what you think is right.

• Don't look down on government and politics. A disdainful attitude is an expensive luxury these days. Whatever affects your business...education...is your business.

• Be understanding. Put yourself in the public officials’ places. Try to understand their problems, their outlooks, and their aims. Then you are more likely to persuade them to do the same thing in understanding yours.

• Be friendly. Don't contact public officials only when you want their help. Invite them to be guests at meetings. Take pains to keep in touch with them throughout the year — every year.

• Be reasonable. Recognize that there are legitimate differences of opinion. Never indulge in threats or recriminations. Such tactics are confessions of weakness.

• Be thoughtful. Commend the right things public officials do. That's the way you like to be treated. Public officials will tell you that they get dozens of letters asking them to do something, but very few thanking them for what they have done.

• Don't blame public officials for "failing" to do what you wanted. The failure may be yours if you have not done a good job preparing, presenting, and following through on your case. In any event, a good rule of thumb is "Don't get mad—get even." Every public official knows that you will have a chance to do just that on the next Election Day.

• Avoid selfish requests for special favors and exemptions. If it becomes absolutely necessary to ask for them, state the reasons frankly and clearly.

• Don't be a busybody. You don't like to be scolded, pestered, or preached to. Neither do public officials.

• Be cooperative. If a public official makes a reasonable request, try to comply with it. Don't back away for fear it's a "deal."

• Be realistic. Remember that controversial legislation and regulations usually result in compromise. It has always been so, and will always be so in a democracy.

• Be a good opponent. Fight issues—not persons. And be ready with alternatives or solutions, as well as criticisms. This is constructive opposition.

• Be informed. Never meet with public officials to advocate a position without first studying the facts and arguments pro and con. The mere fact that you want a public official to adopt one position or another won't be enough to convince him or her. Do your homework.

• Never break a promise. This is the cardinal rule in politics. If you tell a public official that you will do something in exchange for a certain action, stick to the bargain.

• Don't change horses in the middle of the stream. Never leave officials stranded out on a limb by changing your policy or position after they have publicly stated a position you have urged them to take.

..Reprinted from Effective Political Communications published by the American Association of School Administrators

• Ann Bisgard, Healthy Schools, Healthy Children, Successful Students Advocacy Topic Chair for information on school environmental health issues; 509-529-7521; email: bisgard@bmi.net

For help in devising a strategy for contacting and talking to school personnel contact any of the following:

• Region Legislative Chair and your Region Service Delivery Team
• Marilyn Enright, Legislative Director (elected volunteer)
• Barbara Casey, WSPTA Government Relations Director, WSPTA Office, 1-800-562-3804 M to F, 9 AM - 1 PM (person answers; voice mail at all other times); 253-565-2153 M to F, 9 AM – 5 PM --  email: basey@wastatepta.org

Additional Contact:

• Richard E. Ellis, J.D., M. S., R.S.; Washington State Department of Health; School and Living Environment Programs Manager; contact Rich only after contacting local health department people; 360-236-3072; email: ree0303@doh.wa.gov

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