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Tools for Techs
2008 Excellence Award Winners
United States Environmental Protection Agency National Excellence Awards
Exemplary Indoor Air Qualty (IAQ) Program Demonstrating Exceptional Commitment to Good IAQ Management
Connecticut Technical High School System
Middletown, CT
John Woodmansee, IAQ Coordinator
In 2004, the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) customized the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Program to establish its own indoor air quality (IAQ) management program for technical high schools, naming it Tools for Techs (TfT). Receiving instant support from stakeholders such as the teachers union, superintendent, and assistant superintendent, TfT built on the key components of the IAQ TfS Program, while targeting trade and technology instructional areas.
CTHSS kicked off the program with a series of informative walkthroughs at several technical high schools. After assessing the needs of the schools, CTHSS customized the IAQ TfS checklists for the TfT program and piloted the program in two schools during the 2005-06 school year. School committees, each consisting of an administrator, nurse, academic teacher, trade instructor, administrative assistant, building maintenance supervisor, and union representative, convened in each participating school and received extensive training. Since its inception, the TfT program has been well received based on feedback from committee members and program participants. CTHSS has also posted the TfT checklists to the district’s web site to encourage the participation of other schools in the system and maintain open communications between stakeholders.
Anne Bracker, MPH, CIH developed a packet of trade specific checklists for the school system, "Tools for Techs" and launched several new training initiatives for the technical high schools.
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The individuals in the picture (from left to right) are:
- Eugene Benoit- EPA Region 1
- Anne Bracker, UCONN Health Center, Center for Indoor Environments and Health
- Elizabeth Craig, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- John Woodmansee, IAQ Coordinator, Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS)
- Elizabeth Cotsworth, Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Rick Tanasi, President, State Vocational Federation of Teachers/ American Federation of Teacher (AFT)
- Kenny Foscue, CT DPH- Connecticut Schools Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT)
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