Parents for Students Safety                                        Franklin, TN, March 2013

E-mail: parentsforstudentssafety@gmail.com  

This Petition is still in circulation for gathering more Signatures from Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, US citizens who do want our students in Williamson County Schools of Tennessee protected from Damaging Substances in Chemicals, Pesticides, VOC's emitted from maintenance jobs, Radon, etc.  

Our current requests to the School Officials are the following:

- Scheduled paint jobs, varnishing wooden gym floors, and other maintenance projects that emit VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) or construction dusts inside of schools must not be present when children are in the buildings; even if such jobs are being done on the exterior of the schools. Schedule such maintenance works when schools are not in session. Inform parents of all scheduled maintenance jobs via each school in the district of WCS.

- Unscheduled/emergency repairs/maintenance must not expose students to hazardous chemicals. In case of such unavoidable unforeseen repairs, inform parents and close the portion of the schools where such projects need to be performed if those jobs do not emit smells, VOC’s or construction dusts that will seep into the whole building through the ventilation system or other, until completed. If the emergency repairs do emit any type of smell or dust throughout the building, close the whole school and have the children stay home until it is safe for them to return. Keep children away from chemicals and VOC’s etc.

- Air out classes/rooms/building from any residual VOC’s and inspect to ensure that they are free from contaminants before students go back to school.

- No pesticides of any kind must be applied when children are present. Let it DRY! - Contact surfaces, areas where students study, eat, or play, must be pesticide and /or VOC’s free. Many disinfectant cleaners are registered as pesticides with the EPA and have special recommendations for use by the manufacturers of the products. No child is to be exposed via skin, via air/breathing and via ingestion to damaging substances.

- Classes, rooms, and hallways must be free of spray fragrances from room fresheners, disinfectant cleaners, and VOC’s of any kind, including personal perfumes. They pose an unseen threat to the immune systems, lungs, endocrine system, brain etc. especially for children.  

- Follow specific directions described on the labels of the products and safety recommendations of MSDS’s of manufacturers of the products used. Ensure it is done and in a manner so that our children will not be exposed to them all via skin, air/breathing or ingestion.

- Do not let unlicensed, untrained people handle chemicals or perform maintenance jobs in our schools and not around our children. Also, do not let children handle nor touch any chemicals. Teachers too are not to bring in their own cleaners to class and especially not to apply when children are present.

- In case of unexpected chemical fumes/smells, construction dusts, remove our children from the area and bring them to a safe place free of contaminants and inform parents.

- Adopt “Schools for Tools of the EPA – Indoor Air Quality Program” as suggested by Governor Bill Haslam in his Proclamation of April 2011. Can be done without grants.

- Adopt an Integrated Pest Management and Green Cleaning Program to eliminate more toxic products.

- Hire a Safety Expert for WCS District who has extensive knowledge and qualification in chemical matters in his or her job description. The person would also need a team who can train employees and teachers of WCS on the prevention of Chemical Hazards and to avoid exposure of students/staff/everybody indoors and outdoors of schools. Schools need to keep up with safety guidelines. Parents have the right to be informed and to have a say. Include concerned Parents in Decision Making Processes. 

- Test Schools for RADON (has not been done in over 20 years in many Schools here).

- Test for Mold in our local schools too

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