Healthy school environment concerns the quality of the physical and aesthetic surroundings; the psychosocial climate, safety, and culture of the school; the school safety and emergency plans; and the periodic review and testing of the factors and conditions that influence the environment. Factors and conditions that influence the quality of the physical environment include the school building and the area surrounding it; transportation services; any biological or chemical agents inside and outside the school facilities that are detrimental to health; and physical conditions such as temperature, noise, lighting, air quality and potential health and safety hazards. The quality of the psychological environment includes the physical, emotional and social conditions that affect the safety and well being of students and staff. Qualified staff such as facilities and transportation supervisors, principals, school and community counselors, social workers, psychologists, school health nurses, health educators, and school safety officers assess and plan for these factors and conditions in the school environment.

TN DOE Healthy School Environment Home Page

More Information:

• Kids against Bullying – A Web site created for elementary school children. It educates students about bullying prevention and provide methods to respond to bullying situations from the National Center for Bullying Prevention. 
• Kids Count – Community Level Information on Kids (CLIKS). Trend data for Tennessee covering the past 10 years and available in several formats.
• National Fire Protection Association – The NFPA is the authority on fire, building and electrical safety.
• National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) – Information, resources and publications on recognizing and countering gang activity from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
• Safe & Drug Free Schools – A comprehensive list brought to you by the US Department of Education. Related links to School safety – NCLB and areas for teachers are provided.
• School Bus Safety Program – This NHTSA program is committed to reducing school bus-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
• Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network - Each year suicide claims more lives of Tennesseans than homicide. Yet many suicides are preventable with the recognition of the signs of suicide.
• TP3 Green Schools Program - The Green Schools Program is the schools’ branch of the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership (TP3).