New School

School vacations give families a rest from routine and allow them to regroup and refresh for the new year. Schools also use the summer months for refreshing, literally: They renovate, paint, pull up old carpet and lay down new, and do all sorts of other chemically intensive projects in relatively empty buildings. And in some cases, this could lead to even bigger problems. There have been a few recent instances where asbestos turned up in schools during poorly executed and managed construction projects, though this is the worst-case scenario.

Unfortunately, not all schools send out detailed letters about what's been done over break, leaving parents in the dark. Before the school year starts, it's a good idea to be in touch with management (the principal, the head custodian or the school's facility director) to find out if the building underwent any renovations.

Obviously parents can't eco-micromanage school interiors the way we do our homes. But that doesn't mean we can't be influential. Visit the building a few weeks before reentry—there's no better way of assessing if it's truly ready for occupancy. "Is it clean?" asks Claire Barnett, executive director of Healthy Schools Network. "The smell of a clean school is no smell. Walk through and make sure the dust and debris are cleaned up, make sure it doesn't smell of carpeting and glue and oil-based paint." Just be sure to request permission from the front office before a walk-through.

Other good questions to ask include: What paints and other materials like particleboard or plywood are being used? There may be laws in place where you live that specify use of low- to no-VOC paints, caulk and other safer options. In this case, your job will be easier—just check to make sure they're complying (you can download a report from the Environmental Law Institute that outlines school indoor-air-quality regulations state by state). Don't forget to ask about what kind of cleanup will be done after the renovations. It should be post-construction specific and done with industrial green products. If responses are slow to any of the questions, enlist other parents. Numbers get action.

If the building isn't fit, notify other class parents and teachers (they have to spend all day in the building too!) and ask en masse what the plans are to make it child-safe before the first day. You can even send a letter with many signatures to the Board of Ed requesting a thorough cleanup.