[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 69 (Monday, April 30, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5310-S5313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 176--RECOGNIZING APRIL 30, 2007, AS ``NATIONAL 
                         HEALTHY SCHOOLS DAY''

  Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
Casey, and Mr. Bayh) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 176

       Whereas over half of schools have problems linked to indoor 
     air quality;
       Whereas children are more vulnerable to environmental 
     hazards as they breathe in more air per pound of body weight 
     due to their developing systems;
       Whereas children spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per 
     week in school;
       Whereas poor indoor environmental quality is associated 
     with a wide rage of problems that include poor concentration, 
     respiratory illnesses, learning difficulties, and cancer;
       Whereas research suggests that children attending schools 
     in poor condition score 11 percent lower on standardized 
     tests than students who attend schools in good condition;
       Whereas an average of 1 out of every 13 school-age children 
     has asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, 
     accounting for approximately 14,700,000 missed school days 
     each year;
       Whereas 17 separate studies all found positive health 
     impacts from improved indoor air-quality, ranging from 13.5 
     percent up to 87 percent improvement;
       Whereas our Nation's schools spent approximately 
     $8,000,000,000 on energy costs in the last school year, 
     causing officials to

[[Page S5313]]

     make very difficult decisions on cutting back much needed 
     academic programs in efforts to keep the heat and lights on;
       Whereas healthy and high performance schools designed to 
     reduce energy and maintenance costs, provide cleaner air, 
     improve lighting, and reduce exposures to toxic substances 
     provide a healthier and safer learning environment for 
     children and improved academic achievement and well-being;
       Whereas Congress has demonstrated its interest in this 
     compelling issue by including the Healthy High-Performance 
     Schools Program in the No Child Left Behind Act; and
       Whereas our schools have the great responsibility of 
     guiding the future of our children and Nation: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate recognizes April 30, 2007, as 
     ``National Healthy Schools Day''.

  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today is National Healthy Schools Day. 
This day was established to build awareness and promote healthy school 
environments for our children and school personnel.
  National Healthy Schools Day has been recognized for the past 5 years 
thanks to the work of the Healthy Schools Network in New York. Many 
organizations have worked together over the years to raise awareness to 
the conditions that many of our children and teachers are subjected to 
on a daily basis. The ongoing work of these organizations is crucial in 
fostering the development and wellbeing of our Nation's children.
  Each day, parents send their children to school with the assumption 
that their children will spend the day in a safe environment. Many 
parents do not realize that their children's classrooms could be the 
very thing that harms them. Alarmingly, over half of our Nation's 
schools reported that they had at least one environmental hazard. These 
pollutants can have serious effects on health, such as respiratory 
problems, and can even interfere with cognitive functioning. 
Furthermore, children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards as 
they proportionally breathe in more air than adults.
  It is not surprising then that approximately 1 out of 13 school-age 
children has asthma, which is responsible for more than 14 million 
missed school days each year as the poor indoor air quality in these 
schools exacerbates the effects of asthma. However, a recent study 
sponsored by the American Lung Association and the American Federation 
of Teachers estimates that a shift from an unhealthy to a healthy 
school would result in a 25 percent reduction in cases of asthma among 
students.
  It is imperative that we address these problems. That is why I was 
the proud sponsor of the Healthy, High-Performance Schools Program in 
the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). By incorporating this legislation 
into NCLB, Congress acknowledged that environmental factors can be a 
barrier to academic success.
  We must spread awareness of the health and learning effects that 
result from unhealthy schools and continue to fight on our children's 
behalf. I commend those across the nation who are using National 
Healthy Schools Day to do just that.

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