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Cleanlink News 2/23/2010

Ill. School Seeks Green Exemption

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School District U-46, Bartlett, Ill., is seeking an exemption from a state mandate that asks schools to use green cleaning products only, saying they would see a significant increase in costs if they made the change, according to reports from MySuburbanLife.com.

Illinois was the second state in the country to mandate the use of green cleaning products with the Green Clean Schools Act of 2007. However, in a letter to members of the Senate March 4, 2009, U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres asked that the district be relieved of the mandate, claiming the purchase of ‘Green Cleaning Supplies’ are costing the district an additional $100,000 per year.

U-46 parent Bev Jaszczurowski said the district should rethink its decision.

“The products that have harmful chemicals in them are known to cause more asthma attacks as well as other health issues with children — headaches included,” Jaszczurowski said. “This results in more time children are out of school, which in the long run costs the district money.”

According to the Healthy Schools Campaign, chemicals in traditional cleaning products can increase asthma, the leading cause of student absenteeism nationwide. HSC asserts this not only takes away from the child’s education, but also loses the school money because the state pays the district per child per day of attendance.

The Illinois Green Clean Schools Act of 2007 does include an exemption clause that permits schools to opt out of the law’s green cleaning requirements if it’s determined the change would increase cleaning costs, HSC Deputy Director Mark Bishop said.

“(We wanted) public record of who is opting out and the ability to reach out to schools to help them do a better job of creating a cleaning program that is healthier to kids,” Bishop said.

Of the nearly 900 districts in Illinois, the state had received only four notices from schools saying green cleaning was not economically feasible.

U-46 officials would not say how using green products created additional costs, but supporters of the mandate are confident the switch can be made without increased expense.

“We have not heard from other districts that it is costing them more,” said Linda Knapp, environment educator at SCARCE, an organization dedicated to educating people on how to protect the environment and work towards a sustainable future.

Overall, the implementation of green cleaning was such a success that since 2007, Illinois legislation has gone a step further by implementing a bill requiring green cleaning products be used in state-owned buildings.

Click here to read this full report.