Is Your School Building Making You Sick?

This 2024 NEA Today story documents the growing health crisis caused by deteriorating school buildings, focusing on mold infestations, poor indoor air quality, and extreme classroom temperatures. Through accounts from educators in Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio, and Federal Way, Washington, the article shows how unhealthy building conditions cause respiratory illness, headaches, and heat-related emergencies for both students and staff, and contribute to teacher attrition. The article also highlights educator-led advocacy — including Connecticut’s classroom temperature data campaign and Columbus’s 2022 strike — as the primary force driving policy change.