A HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

 

                 

Definition

A healthy school environment is defined as a school having appropriate facilities, well managed classrooms, available school-based health supports, and a clear fair disciplinary policy. Healthy school environment concerns the quality of the physical and aesthetic surroundings. A healthy school environment, students, parents, staff, administration, and community, support the students’ wellness policy, nutrition, education, and school meals programs with the shared value of healthy eating, active living, and sustainable environmental practices. A healthy school environment refers to the factors within the school that influence the teaching-learning process. The school environment includes classrooms, library, technical workshops, teachers’ quality, teaching methods, peers, etc. Healthy bodies and brains translate into improved academic performance and attendance. It develops students that make informed healthy choices, establishing a positive example for the health and longevity of the community and the environment. A healthy school environment consists of:

·         Wellness policy implementation

·         School environment

·         Student involvement

·         Parent involvement

·         Community partnerships

·         Food and nutritional services standard.

 

 

Factors that can hinder learning in a school environment
Factors that can hinder learning in a school environment include the following:

·         Poor lighting

·         Noise

·         High levels of carbon dioxide  in classrooms

·         Poor circulation

·         Dusts

·         Flood

·         Inconsistent temperatures

·         Poor maintenance

·         Ineffective ventilation system

·         Poor facilities

·         Small class size can lead to overcrowding

·         School location in a market area

·         Chemical pollutants

 

      How to ensure a Healthy School Environment

·         The physical environment of school buildings and school grounds is a factor in the overall health and safety hazards, and to promote learning. Students’ achievement can be affected either positively or negatively by the school environment.

·         Policies and protocols must be in a place to ensure food protection, sanitation, healthy air quality, good lighting, safe playgrounds, violence prevention and emergency response among other issues that relate to the physical environment of schools.

·         The psycho-social climate, safety, and culture of the school; the school safety and emergency plans; and the periodic review and testing of the factors and conditions that influence the environment must be done from time to time.

 

Factors and conditions that influence the quality of the physical environment

Factors and conditions that influence the quality of the physical environment include:

·         The school building and the area surrounding it

·         Transportation services

·         Any biological or chemical agents inside and outside the school facilities that are detrimental to health

·         Physical conditions such as temperature, noise, lighting, air quality and potential health and safety hazards.

 

      The quality of the psychological environment
      these includes:

·         The physical, emotional and social conditions that affect the safety and well-being of students and staff.

·         Qualified staff such as school health Nurses, facilities and transportation supervisors, principals, school and community counselors, social workers, psychologists, health educators, and school safety officers assess and plan for these factors and conditions in the school environment.

 

Common Accidents that Occur in School Environment

School teachers and nurses have a duty of protecting students from accidents that could lead to severe injuries or death. This includes properly supervising children and providing them with a safe environment while they are on a school bus, during the school day and when they are engaged in extracurricular activities. When schools breach this duty to the children in their care, a tragic accident can occur, and the school could be responsible for compensating the student for his injuries. Common causes of accidents at schools include:

• Bullying and assaults: Both bullying and fighting are common at school, and a school cannot be held responsible for every conflict. However, a school can be found negligent if it failed to properly supervise students at the time of the incident, knew that the aggressor was a trouble maker and took no action or knew that a fight or other dangerous situation was likely.
• Slip and fall accidents: Water and debris in bathrooms, slippery floors from cleaning, book bags and other items strewn on classroom floors and food and drink spills in the cafeteria are a few of the causes of slip and fall accidents at schools. Children can suffer broken bones, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injury, cuts and bruises, dislocation, sprains and strains and other serious injuries if they injure themselves in a fall.
• School bus accidents: Negligent bus drivers can cause a tragic bus accident that can result in injuries to students in the bus or when they are pedestrians. Driver’s negligence and lack of training by the school district or bus maintenance issues are some of the causes of school bus accidents. Many school buses do not have seat belts, which can make the injuries that children suffer even worse. In addition, accidents can happen when children are horsing around on the bus without proper supervision from bus driver staff.
• Playground accidents: Playground equipment gets a lot of wear and tear due to daily use and the weather. When it is not maintained and replaced when necessary or has a design or manufacturing defect, children can suffer devastating injuries in a fall or other accidents like strangulation while playing. In addition, many accidents are caused by the failure to properly supervise children who do not have the capacity to understand the dangers of the playground or the risks of certain behaviors.
• Food poisoning: When cafeteria workers do not properly prepare and store food or an outside vendor provides tainted food, children can become seriously ill from food poisoning when they eat breakfast, lunch or other food provided by the school.
• Sports activities: Some sports, particularly football, include inherent risks of injury, and students who voluntarily engage in the activity may not be able to sue the school for their injuries. However, when equipment is defective, basic safety measures are not followed or the school staff doesn’t provide proper supervision, an injured student may have a claim for compensation against the school.

 

 

 

Prevention of Common Accidents in School Environment

·         Train staff and students on ways to prevent accidents from happening and what to do if someone gets hurt.

·         Create a safety committee of teachers, administrators, school nurse and students.

·         Repair all unsafe areas within the facility.

·         Check the equipment in the school/school playground and keep it well maintained.

·         Check the surface on the playground as falls are the number one causes of nonfatal injuries in school children.

·         Check the temperature. As the weather warms up, playground equipment can become sweltering and in some cases cause burns. Slides or equipment composed of metal should be checked and protected from sun by a shade.

·         Beware of strangulation and choking hazard.