It’s time to invest in student & educator well-being

Sample Resolution on Health and Safety Committees

WHEREAS, the [SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD] (hereinafter, “Board”) recognizes that every educator and student deserves healthy, safe, and equitable working and learning conditions free of known hazards; and

WHEREAS, students and educators are potentially exposed to safety and health hazards every day, such as infectious diseases, indoor air pollution, workplace violence, extreme temperatures, and gun violence; and

WHEREAS, occupational safety and health hazards kill more than 5,000 workers each year; and

WHEREAS, health and safety hazards disrupt students’ schooling, undermine learning outcomes, and increase health care costs; and

WHEREAS, a health and safety committee can improve working and learning conditions by providing a collaborative labor-management to identify and solve health and safety concerns before they become serious; and

WHEREAS, a workplace health and safety committee can involve educators in implementing and improving working and learning conditions, heighten awareness of health and safety issues among educators and students, and develop strategies to make the school environment safer and healthier;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, on [DATE] of [MONTH, YEAR], by the Board, the District supports the creation of new labor-management health and safety committees and the invigoration of existing health and safety committees; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board supports the labor-management health and safety committee’s role in the review of existing and development of new resources to promote a healthy and safe environment for students, educators, and the communities we serve, and that includes the following key activities:

1. Identify unsafe work practices and conditions and suggest appropriate mitigation measures, including provision of services and supports to address root causes of safety concerns;
2. Conduct building walkthroughs of both operations and facilities to identify safety and health hazards and recommend mitigation measures;
3. Obtain and analyze available data on past injuries, near misses, and illnesses; identify trends; and suggest mitigation measures;
4. Ensure compliance with the relevant state and local agency health and safety regulations and workers’ compensation benefit requirements; and
5. Brainstorm suggestions and recommendations to address health and safety concerns, including employee training to prevent health and safety incidents and a comprehensive program of accommodations and medical and psychological services for those who have experienced health and safety issues.