[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1160-E1161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    21ST CENTURY GREEN HIGH-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. CHAKA FATTAH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2187) to 
     direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to State 
     educational agencies for the modernization, renovation, or 
     repair of public school facilities, and for other purposes:

  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chair, noise is an environmental hazard similar to 
air, water, and ground pollution. Too much exposure to noise in an 
environment has a direct impact on the human body. Children, whose 
bodies and brains are still developing, more so than adults, are 
adversely affected by noise. A student's ability to hear and understand 
speech in the classroom is vital for learning. Unfortunately, noisy 
classrooms reduce the ability to learn. Noisy classrooms occur when the 
background noise and/or the amount of reverberation in the classroom 
are so high that they interfere with learning and teaching. We know 
that when classrooms are noisy it affects speech understanding, reading 
and spelling ability, behavior in the classroom, attention, 
concentration, and academic achievement. Learning in an excessively 
noisy environment is similar to trying to read in poorly lit room or 
obstructed by steps while in a wheel chair.
  Therefore, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 
recommends an appropriate acoustical environment for all students in 
educational settings. ASHA endorses ANSI S12.60-2002 Acoustical 
Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools 
(ANSI S12.60-2002) as the national standards for classroom acoustics. 
It is well recognized that the acoustical environment in a classroom or 
other educational environment is a critical variable in the academic, 
psychoeducational, and psychosocial development of children with normal 
hearing as well as children with hearing loss and/or other disabilities 
(e.g., auditory processing disorders, learning disabilities, attention 
deficit disorders). Inappropriate levels of reverberation and/or noise 
can deleteriously affect speech perception, reading/spelling ability, 
classroom behavior, attention, concentration, and educational 
achievement. In addition to compromising student function, poor 
classroom acoustics may also negatively affect teacher performance and 
increase vocal pathologies and absenteeism. Thus, all educational 
settings have an incentive to develop acoustical conditions that meet 
national standards. For children with hearing loss and/or other 
disabilities, the acoustics of the proposed educational setting(s) 
should be considered and addressed

[[Page E1161]]

during the determination of a child's educational needs and placement.
  Acoustical factors in a classroom include: (1) the level of the 
background (ambient) noise in the room; (2) the relative intensity of 
the information carrying components of the speech signal to the non-
information carrying signal or noise (i.e., signal-to-noise ratio 
[SNR]); and (3) the reverberant characteristics of the environment. To 
achieve appropriate acoustical conditions in an educational setting, 
ASHA recommends the following:
  (1) Unoccupied classroom noise levels must not exceed 35 dBA.
  (2) The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) should be at least +15 dB at the 
child's ears.

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