2. What is a Healthy School Environment?
In a healthy school environment student,
parents, staff, administration and community
support the student wellness policy,
nutrition education and school meals
programs with the shared values of healthy
eating, active living and sustainable
environmental practices.
3. The core elements of a healthy school
environment include access to healthcare,
healthy food and physical activity, clean air
and water, and education about making
healthy choices. In a healthy school,
students learn—through lessons and by
example—to value their own health and
that of their environment.
4. In a healthy school, students learn—through lessons and
by example—to value their own health and that of their
environment. The components of a healthy school include:
1. Healthy spaces to learn and play
2. Health as an integral part of excellence in education
3. Knowledgeable teachers, administrators and staff
4. Access to physical and behavioral health services
5. Involved parents and community members
5. 5 CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY
ENVIRONMENT
#1 Attention to culture is everywhere
As explained by author and researcher Samuel
Casey Carter, while students do learn during
class, there’s also much that is learned implicitly,
outside of the classroom, during a school day. A
collaborative school where the mission is
reflected in each interaction will take this into
account.
6. #2 A nurturing environment with high
expectations
Culture isn’t dictated by one person, it’s
created by a community. Supporting and
challenging individuals in a nurturing
environment not only drives growth, but
ensures that community members are
engaged.
7. #3 Engaged staff, engaged students
According to a 2018 Gallup poll, engaged
students are 4.5 times more likely to be
hopeful about the future than disengaged
peers. A study from Cardwell echoes the
importance of engagement, finding that
students who reported high levels of teacher
support indicated that they also had higher
levels of engagement.
8. #4 A commitment to lifelong learning
Beliefs, values and actions spread the farthest when
learning is actively happening at every level. In
education, every member of the school community
should feel compelled to participate in the learning
process. Teachers who model inquiry, curiosity, and
even uncertainty create the understanding that what
students have not yet learned, can be learned. And
that a desire to learn is the first and most essential
step in this process.
9. #5 Holistic sense of responsibility
As stated in Harvard Business Review’s The
Culture Factor, when aligned with strategy and
leadership, a strong culture drives positive
organizational outcomes. Selecting or
developing leaders for the future requires a
forward-looking strategy and culture.
10. Effective action to create and maintain a
healthful and safe school environment requires
cooperation from the following:
Teachers as advocates, including school staff
members
Students' involvement
Parent and community Involvement
11. Multitude of dynamic conditions that are
external to the person
Two types:
Supportive: creates healthful choices or
protects the well-being of the student (e.g.,
food service programs)
Non-supportive: detracts from
commitment for healthful behavior (e.g.,
vending machines containing junk food)
12. Enhancing Physical Conditions that
Facilitate Optimal Learning &
Development
1. School size 5. Noise Control
2. Lighting 6. Sanitation/Cleanliness
3. Color choices 7. Other Physical
Conditions
4. Temperature or 8. Accessibility
Ventilation
13. SCHOOL SIZE
School and classroom size are important
environmental conditions.
Teachers and school professionals have little
control over this.
Student distraction is more likely in large classes
compared to smaller ones.
Small schools offer greater opportunities to
participate in extracurricular activities and
leadership roles.
14. LIGHTING
Most critical physical characteristic of the classroom
Key to the well-being of students and teachers who are
confined in a classroom
Poor lighting can affect students' attitudes and mood
General classroom illumination requires 50-100 foot candles
Adequate lighting promotes effective academic work,
discourages unsanitary conditions, and encourages high
morale
15. Color can transform a
school's atmosphere from
depressing and
monotonous to:
✔Inviting ✔Pleasing
✔Stimulating
COLOR
CHOICES
16. Temperatures that are too
high deplete energy from
students
Temperatures that are too low
can make students restless
inattentive
Optimal classroom
should range between 65-70
degrees Fahrenheit
During humid and/or hot
make sure students are
hydrating on a regular basis
TEMPERATURE
&
VENTILATION
17. NOISE CONTROL
Noise can make it difficult for students to
learn for several reasons
Noise raises stress levels for students and
teachers
Classroom noise can be controlled by using
noise absorbing materials
Long-term exposure can lead to hearing loss
18. SANITATION AND
CLEANLINESS
Sanitation is the protection of health and
prevention of disease by removing filth and
infectious materials.
Personal hand-washing procedures should be
stressed among all students and school
personnel.
All schools should have a standard policy
promoting this important concept
19. OTHER PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
Here are some possible conditions that could
impact a student's well-being:
Optimal space for physical activity
Watch for “hidden spaces"
Storage of chemicals
Sun exposure
Animals in the classrooms
21. SCHOOL SITE
School Site means a plot of ground or
property set apart for the use of a school
and it is the land set aside for each type of
school, such as Elementary, Junior High,
Senior High operated by the School
Board, including but not limited to
municipal school reserve.
22. Why is school site important in education?
Selecting and acquiring suitable school sites are an
important part of the school plant planning process. A
school’s site is one of the factors that can either enhance or
hinder the implementation of its instructional and non-
instructional programs. The site is also one of the factors
that can determine how useful a school plant can be to the
members if the local community. School administrators
should, therefore, be concerned with the present and future
needs of their school sites.
23. IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A HEALTHY SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENT AND SCHOOL SITE
They protect children's health. They enhance
learning. They are pleasant places to be. Finally,
safe and healthy schools are often
environmentally friendly schools, which use less
energy, produce fewer pollutants, and model
environmental responsibility for teachers and
students.
