New York State School Environmental Health Program

school bus, children playing on turf field, girl drinking from water fountain

Upcoming Events

IAQ Summer School: Preparing for a Successful School Year, Tuesday, June 2, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Corey Metzger from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) will review steps schools can take over the summer to optimize indoor air quality (IAQ) for the following school year. Corey will also discuss long-term planning steps for maintaining or improving IAQ in your buildings over time. Register Here.

Pesticide Use for Schools, Tuesday, July 7, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Summer is just around the corner, and with warmer weather come many pest management challenges. Join Mike Helms, Pesticide Safety Education Program Leader at Cornell Integrated Pest Management, to learn about the do’s and don’ts of pesticide use for schools. Register Here.

2026 New York State School Environmental Health Conference

Save the date! The 2026 New York State School Environmental Health Conference will be held on Thursday, November 5, 2026 in Troy, NY. This year's theme is Indoor Air Quality: From Principles to Practice. Stay tuned for registration information and further details.

Resources by Topic

About Us

The NYS School Environmental Health Program is a voluntary, non-regulatory program that emphasizes practical steps that are low or no-cost. Materials and information on this website will help you self-assess and take appropriate actions to create healthier learning and working environments for all students and staff across New York State.

The program offers:

  • Free resources to familiarize yourself with our environmental health focus areas
  • Self-assessment tools
  • Access to technical assistance from a wide range of experts

What is school environmental health?

School environmental health is the way the physical environment influences the health and well-being of the occupants.

How does the school environment affect health?

A school’s environmental health can impact the health of its occupants. Examples of environmental factors that can contribute to health symptoms are indoor air quality, mold or excess moisture, pests and pesticides, and lead. Temperature, lighting, and noise levels can also negatively impact health if not properly controlled. These factors can lead to asthma symptoms or attacks, respiratory symptoms, headaches, andthe transmission of viral and bacterial-related illnesses.

How does the school environment affect other outcomes?

A school’s environmental health can have impacts on absenteeism, employee and student retention and satisfaction, academic performance, and test scores. Also, costly expenditures on energy, repairs, maintenance, and clean-ups increase operation costs for the school.

Health and Safety Committees are required by law for New York State public schools. Ideally, nonpublic schools also create these committees. Fully developed and efficiently functioning Health and Safety Committees are integral to responding to and preventing environmental health concerns in schools.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) provides suggestions to guide districts in establishing Health and Safety Committees and defining the duties of the committee.

New York State has laws and regulations that schools should be following to assist in creating healthy school environments.