A coalition of environmental groups has issued a report urging school districts to adopt stricter standards when choosing school sites to avoid exposing children to potential hazards.
Poisoned Schools: Invisible Threats, Visible Actions was produced by the Child-Proofing Our Communities: Poisoned School Campaign. The campaign hopes the report will raise awareness of environmental threats to children's health and promote more precautionary approaches when school districts choose where to build a new facility.
The report urges school districts to include parents and community members in site selection, to examine the history of a potential site and evaluate the potential health risks.
“Under no circumstances should a school be built on top of a hazardous waste, garbage or other landfilled property,” says the report. “When other sites are not available, the proposed school property should be cleaned up to standards that protect children.”
Read or download the full report here.
