One in five schools has poor air quality according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population spends their days in elementary and secondary schools.

Children are particularly at risk for health problems such as asthma and allergies -- both have been linked to poor indoor air quality. Such diseases are becoming increasingly common in school aged children. The health and comfort of students and teachers directly affect attendance, classroom learning and performance.

“We send our kids off to school without a second thought, but many school buildings are more like prisons,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC’s LEED rating system offers guidelines for safe and healthy learning environments.

In response to these concerns, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is moving forward with Rebuild HISD, to upgrade buildings and rebuilding for safer, healthier school buildings that enhance teacher productivity and student learning.

Rebuild HISD, the district’s latest bond program approved by voters in 2002, includes an $808.6 million investment in schools and communities throughout Houston. The program’s goal, according to the district’s website, is to create a top quality learning environment for Houston’s children by rebuilding, upgrading, and renovating schools that no longer meet today’s standards for learning. This is the first bond program designating funds to replace schools.

Meredith Smith, architect and project manager for HISD’s Bond Program says, “This program is a good use of dollars. Rebuilding schools to higher standards is a good use of public money.”

As part of the program HISD will be rebuilding 30 schools. Walnut Bend and Thompson Elementary will be rebuilt using LEED standards. Construction is expected to be completed within the next year.

The LEED Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a nationally accepted voluntary standard that rates buildings in five different areas – water efficiency, sustainable site planning, energy efficiency, recycled building materials and indoor environmental quality. LEED certified buildings use water, energy and building materials more efficiently than conventional building to maximize economic and environmental performance.

According to Smith, the district has received a lot of encouragement from the community to build green. “We’re already doing many things that are ‘green’ because the architects we are hiring for these projects are on the cutting edge of this movement,” she says.

Among other things, the district is also using less carpeting in schools. Carpet retains dirt and dust, as well as pesticides and other pollutants from shoes or other sources. Pollutants are kicked up from walking and become airborne.

The program has presented HISD with an opportunity to continue to improve its standards, says Smith. “What we’re doing with LEED certification is showing that we’ve met a standard.”

“Building green can improve the indoor environment that our next generation is being exposed to,” says Richard Haut Director of the Sustainable Technologies Group at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and chair of the U.S. Green Building Council - Greater Houston Area Chapter. “Everyone really needs to be learning in a healthy environment,” he says. “By healthy, I mean built according to LEED standards, which allows for a much healthier environment by using materials that have low emissions.”

LaVerne Williams, local green residential architect, knows all about the harmful effects buildings can have on health. For more than three decades he has been a pioneer weaving energy efficiency and environmental integrity together in a delicate tapestry. “It is a proven fact that a lot of buildings in Houston are not healthy because of poor ventilation and the use of toxic materials, among other things,” says Williams. It’s also proven that people learn better in healthy environments. When you don’t feel good, how can you learn? Any school district that does not have a policy of creating healthy buildings needs to get their heads out of the sand,” he adds.

Judy McCullough, principle of St. Catherine’s Montessori, which will be Houston’s first LEED certified elementary school, claims that although green building has been quite a learning experience it has also been one of great excitement. “Everyone needs to do this. If you are building you need to plan for the future, especially in public schools. Let’s extend the resources from the textbook into how we prepare students for life.”