HCPSSEPA Regional Administrator Garvin Celebrates Children’s Health Month at Hammond High
October 5th, 2016
Media should arrive by 9:30 a.m. to complete school security procedures prior to the start of the press conference.
EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin will join Howard County Board of Education Chairman Christine E. O’Connor to celebrate Children’s Health Month on Friday, October 7 at 10 a.m. at Hammond High School. The visit will include a classroom visit and discussion of the school system’s new Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) protocols, which were developed with guidance from the EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit, and are being implemented in all 76 Howard County public schools this fall.
Who:
- Shawn M. Garvin, Region III Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Christine E. O’Connor, Chairman, Howard County Board of Education
- Gina Massella, Administrative Director, High Schools, Howard County Public School System
- Marcy Leonard, Principal, Hammond High School
- Howard County Public School System IEQ Committee members
- Hammond High School students, parents and teachers
When: Friday, October 7, 10:00 a.m.
What: October Children’s Health Month Celebration
Where: Hammond High School, 8800 Guilford Road, Columbia, MD 21046
The event will be streamed live at www.hcpss.org.
Background:
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Committee was convened during the 2015–2016 school year and comprised 33 school and system members, representatives from the environmental industry and county health department, parents, students, and community members. The committee made recommendations for new IEQ protocols and a comprehensive, two-fold plan of action and communication, which is being implemented in all 76 schools for the 2016–2017 school year.
The new protocols enlist the support and collaboration of school staff, students and community members in maintaining healthy school buildings and learning environments. The protocols include regular inspections and reviews by an IEQ team at each school to identify and address issues or concerns. An IEQ web page was added to each school website to provide all stakeholders with inspection reports, environmental quality information and resources, and a process for submitting and tracking concerns.