PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
DESTINATION
HEALTHY SCHOOLS
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS
Physical Environment is one of the ten components represented in the
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. A healthy and safe physical
school environment promotes learning by ensuring the health and safety of
students and staff. Research shows that unhealthy physical school
environments can negatively impact children’s health, attendance,
concentration, and academic performance.
A healthy physical school environment addresses a school’s physical
condition during normal operation as well as during renovation
(e.g., ventilation, moisture, temperature, noise, and natural and artificial
lighting), and protects occupants from physical threats (e.g., crime,
violence, traffic, and injuries) and biological and chemical agents in the air,
water, or soil as well as those purposefully brought into the school
(e.g., pollution, mold, hazardous materials, pesticides, and cleaning agents).
~ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
7
SMART
GUIDE
A whole child approach, which ensures each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged, sets
the standard for comprehensive, sustainable school improvement and provides for long-term student success.
October 2016
Make Sure Facilities Are Healthy and Safe!
• Flooring surfaces are slip-resistant, and stairways have sturdy guardrails
• Poisons and chemical hazards are labeled and stored in locked cabinets.
• First-aid equipment and notices describing safety procedures are available and accessible.
• All areas of the school have sufficient lighting, and secluded areas are sealed off or supervised.
• Smoke alarms, sprinklers, and fire extinguishers are installed and operational.
• Pedestrians are offered special protection, including crossing guards, escorts, crosswalks, and safe bus and car loading.
• A variety of methods are used to keep weapons out of the school environment.
• School buses do not idle while loading or unloading students, to reduce emission of diesel exhaust and fine particles.
• Spaces and facilities for physical activity (including playgrounds and sports fields) meet or exceed recommended
safety standards.
• The campus and buildings are pleasant and welcoming (e.g., uncluttered, uncrowded, well-lit, graffiti-free).
