New York State School Environmental Health Program

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

School Environmental Health Program June Chat: Safe Schools by Design Acts Guide

Register for SEHP's third chat to be held on Monday, June 2nd at 10am EST. This chat will be facilitated by Sara Madison from the NYS Education Department (NYSED).

In October 2023, Chapter 529 of 2023 was signed into law requiring all New York State (NYS) Public Schools five-year capital improvement plans to consider the incorporation of design principles and strategies, pursuant to guidance issued by the Commissioner, as part of a comprehensive approach to provide a safe, secure, and healthy school environment. Referenced as the Safe Schools by Design Act, the law requires compliance beginning April 17, 2025.

The chats are informal half hour conversations led by a subject matter expert to answer any questions and share resources about that month’s topic. Come prepared with your questions and feel free to share your experiences!

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

Resources by Topic

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, and the 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.