Clean Air School Challenge program offers guidance and support to help K-12 schools keep indoor air safe and healthy
CHICAGO, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Every day in schools across the country, millions of children and adults are impacted by poor indoor air quality. Though indoor air quality is a top environmental risk to public health, more than half of K-12 schools do not have indoor air quality management plans to proactively address air quality risks. To help create healthier learning environments for students and staff, the American Lung Association is inviting schools nationwide to join the Clean Air School Challenge.
“Clean air in schools is essential in protecting children’s health and supporting their ability to learn and thrive,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Schools face unique challenges in ensuring healthy indoor air, ranging from aging infrastructure, high occupancy levels that can make ventilation and filtration more difficult, and limited operating budgets. Our Clean Air School Challenge is designed to help schools overcome these challenges. To date, we have partnered with nearly 200 schools as they take critical steps to improve air quality and protect the health of more than 66,000 children.”
The Lung Association’s Clean Air School Challenge supports public, charter, and tribal K-12 schools nationwide in developing, implementing and sustaining indoor air quality management plans. Participating schools receive training, resources, technical assistance, peer mentorship and recognition, along with opportunities for mini-grants and to participate in Learning Collaboratives. The program also focuses on energy management, which is the second-largest cost for K-12 schools. By conserving energy, schools can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, which contributes to outdoor air pollution, including ozone, which irritates the nose, throat and lungs.
Students and staff spend most of their time indoors where some pollutant levels can be two to five times—and in some cases more than 100 times—higher than outdoor levels. Exposure to indoor air pollutants like carbon dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold and viruses can be exacerbated by a range of factors, including poor air exchange, cleaning products, vehicle exhaust and structural problems, such as plumbing leaks.
Poor air quality in the classroom can reduce student attention and focus, cause severe allergic reactions, asthma flares, headaches and fatigue and can spread airborne bacteria and viruses. It can contribute to increased absenteeism and missed instructional time, resulting in decreased academic achievement. Additionally, students with asthma, disabilities or underlying health conditions—and those in communities that are underserved or under-resourced—face disproportionately higher health risks. For teachers and staff, poor indoor air quality is associated with reduced productivity and missed workdays.
Learn how your school can get involved at Lung.org/casc.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events or donate today at Lung.org/donate.
CONTACT:
Jill Dale | American Lung Association
P: 312-940-7001 M: 720-438-8289E: Jill.Dale@Lung.org
SOURCE American Lung Association