Public Comments for: HB2618 - Public school buildings; indoor air quality, inspection and evaluation.
It is no secret that Virginia's Public Schools are aging and infrastructure across the state is in dire need of updates and replacement. One major component of this infrastructure that must be prioritized and addressed this legislative session is indoor air quality. As a mother of a two year old that will likely become a Virginia public school student in just 2-3 years, this issue is very important to me. Our daughter was born at 32 weeks which meant her lungs were still underdeveloped, as is the case with most premature babies. Unfortunately this has put her at a higher risk for respiratory issues and even led to a 3 day PICU stay when she was just 8 months old due to RSV. Since then any time she has gotten sick we end up having to use a nebulizer with albuterol to help her stop coughing and are concerned that she may be asthmatic throughout her adolescence. Aside from these health concerns, our daughter is highly intelligent with a fondness for reading and loves to sing and dance while learning her numbers and letters and her father and I know she has a bright future ahead of her. It is now up to you as legislators to ensure that her learning environments and the staff that work in them are safe and have the opportunity to participate to the best learning experience possible in our public schools because her and her peers deserve it. I urge you to vote "yea" to move this legislation forward and to do what is right and what is best for each and every student and staff member in Virginia's public schools. Attached is a fact sheet created to support SB1413, the senate version of HB2618
The attached written testimony is in reference to HB 2618. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments.
The attached written testimony is in reference to HB 2618. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments.
In Favor Testimony for HB 2618 from Brenda Silvia-Torma, Fairfax, VA 22031
Please support Delegate Helmer's bill HB2618 on indoor air quality in schools. Students and school staff have a right to learn and work in spaces with clean air. As a public school teacher in Fairfax County, I have observed many cases of mold. In one case a pregnant colleague was ordered by her doctor to take an extended early maternity leave because of the risk to the baby when she presented with an eye irritation that only went away during extended school breaks. This issue needs quick action.
My name is Carla Okouchi, proud parent of two Fairfax County Public School students, FCPS music teacher, and Fairfax Education Association President-elect. Families are counting on each of you to protect the quality of our public schools while ensuring that student and staff health and safety remain a priority. I strongly support HB2618 and urge you to support this bill as an action grounded in our values. Indoor Air Quality in schools is an urgent public health crisis. Employees and students suffer from chronic mold issues, causing ongoing illnesses and absences. I experienced the loss of my voice due to black mold exposure in our schools and was almost forced out of this profession. Thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments are lost to mold and must be replaced yearly. I was able to transfer out of a sick building and continue to organize with families and employees who are concerned about this issue across the Commonwealth. Research shows safe indoor air quality enhances student learning, improves test scores, reduces chronic absenteeism and healthcare costs. This legislation is a commonsense public health and occupational safety measure. Properly maintaining our HVAC systems allow us to proactively address air pollution from wildfires and enables us to safely keep our schools open. HB2618 creates transparency surrounding the indoor environmental conditions of school buildings. The data generated could be used to better advocate for additional Federal grants to fund HVAC improvements and energy-efficiency solutions. Clean air is a human right. As parents, we send our most precious children to school facilities expecting them to be safe from harm, including invisible hazards of black mold, COVID-19, Flu, and RSV. I urge this committee to protect our students and staff by supporting HB2618 and their right to clean indoor air quality.
Good afternoon, My name is Anne Forrester. I am a Richmond resident, Richmond Public Schools teacher and the proud president of the Richmond Education Association. I strongly support HB2618 and urge you to support this bill. For the past year and a half, REA members, RPS families and members of the community have been organizing to draw attention to the unsafe and unhealthy indoor air conditions in many Richmond Public Schools facilities. I personally suffered from chronic sinusitis in 2022 and 2023 when I worked at Boushall Middle school, which I knew was being triggered from something in the building. A few months after I transferred out of the school, my former coworkers returned to classrooms with visible mold growth all over the walls and furniture. By organizing with our community, we were able to get our district and Richmond city council to fund much needed repairs to roofs and HVAC systems in last year's budget process. However, we need the general assembly to do its part in ensuring students and staff have clean air in buildings. What I want to point out is I was able to transfer out of a building making me sick. My students do not have that luxury. In fact, many of our students and their families also live in housing that has issues with mold and other allergens. They should at least be able to come to school and not have their health further jeopardized. I think one of the most upsetting things we discovered during our advocacy last year was when it came to testing. After most of the buildings in our district were tested for mold, nearly all of our preschools had mold accumulation, even dangerous molds such as black mold. That means our youngest students, or are the least able to advocate for themselves, whose immune systems are still developing, and who are at the highest risk of developing asthma were disproportionately exposed to mold and unhealthy air at school. You shouldn’t have to have to be as outspoken as I am to not be made ill from your workplace or school. I’m not a very religious person, but I think there is a bible verse that is relevant here, Matthew 25:40 , “As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me”. We can not ignore the issue of indoor air quality just because most people will be fine. What about the least of these: the preschoolers, the elderly, the disabled and immunocompromised, those too scared of losing their jobs or retribution to come forward and report workplace health concerns. I urge this committee to stand with the most vulnerable in our communities and our right to clean air in public buildings and support HB2618.
Comments Document
I am writing on behalf of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to express our support for VA HB 2618, which would improve the indoor air quality of public school buildings in Virginia and ensure the health and wellbeing of students, teachers, and staff.