Environmental Defense Fund Supports School Siting Bills Protecting Children

Contact: Elena Craft, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3452-w
Media Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451-w or 512.659.9264-c csmith@edf.org

(AUSTIN) The Texas legislature recently introduced two identical bills calling for environmental assessment of all new school sites in Texas. Last night, the public education committee heard the House bill, which calls for school districts to adopt a school siting policy. Currently, Texas does not have a policy guiding districts on the siting process.

The following statement can be attributed to Dr. Elena Craft, clean air quality specialist with the Houston office of Environmental Defense Fund:

“We are pleased to hear that identical bills House Bill 1839 and Senate Bill 1231 have been introduced. These bills have the power to provide school districts with the proper information on school sites, including potential environmental and health hazards, so that they can make informed decisions on where to build. If we continue to build schools without sufficient site assessment, then we are gambling with our children’s health.”