A globe attached to a homemade car toy sitting on a table with plants

Boston Public Schools Celebrates Earth Day and Efforts to Build a More Sustainable School District

As we celebrate Earth Day, Boston Public Schools acknowledges the critical role that the district plays in combating the climate crisis, which we know disproportionately impacts underserved communities.

Boston Public Schools Celebrates Earth Day and Efforts to Build a More Sustainable School District

As we celebrate Earth Day, Boston Public Schools (BPS) acknowledges the critical role that the district plays in combating the climate crisis, which we know disproportionately impacts underserved communities. BPS has been working for years to ensure our sustainability efforts help us reduce this impact on the students and families we serve.

Most recently, BPS received the 2024 Best of Green Schools Awards - District Award and 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Award. However, the work is not done.

“We know that we must support our students and help them become the climate action leaders that our communities need,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “I am committed to ensuring that our district is a model for how we teach our students about the importance of sustainability and climate. Our operational decisions and investments make Boston a national leader in many areas including facilities management, transportation, food and nutrition services, and teaching and learning.”

District Investments in Air and Water Quality

The district’s work includes the installation of 4,400 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Sensors, which allows Facilities Management to monitor air quality and temperature inside and outside school buildings and share results on a public dashboard. The BPS IAQ Management Plan is being used as a model by other K-12 districts across the U.S., and our adopted standards are influencing state and federal policy and funding for IAQ in K-12 schools.

The district has also invested in the installation of filtered bottle refill stations in schools across the city to improve access to safe drinking water and move schools from single use water bottles. To date, nearly 750 filtered bottle refill stations have been installed in 84 schools through the BPS Drinking Water Access Initiative saving the district $485,000 annually in bottled water costs. The district is working to expand access, with more schools expected to have water stations installed in the coming years.

District Food Waste Collection Programs

Last school year, BPS Food and Nutrition Services partnered with the Facilities Department to expand the BPS Food Waste Collection Program and diverted approximately 250,000 pounds of food waste from landfills. This school year, the program will expand to include 10 additional school kitchens, bringing the total to 32 participating schools.

“BPS sustainability and climate action are rooted in our commitment to health and safety, equity, and community collaboration. Our work in academics and operations prioritizes a commitment to creating healthier, greener environments,” said BPS Assistant Director of Planning, Engineering, Sustainability, & Environment Katherine Walsh. “Our work also reflects the student voice - students rightfully demand investments in environmental education, green jobs, and sustainable environments, and are leading climate justice efforts.”

Outdoor Teaching and Learning

Our schoolyards are just as important as our indoor environments. BPS continues to invest in outdoor teaching and learning. Facilities Management partners with the Science, Technology, and Engineering Department to provide a Teaching and Learning Outdoors Champions Program for BPS teachers, with about 40 teachers enrolled, receiving support through Professional Development, materials budgets, and stipends. Many of the champions are also supported by our BPS garden partners.

Since the 2022-2023 school year, Facilities Management has invested $840,000 to install school garden programs at 60 schools. Over the three year period, these schools have received more than $2.6 million in raised bed garden programming and services from the garden partners, accounting for 180 teaching and learning hours weekly. Facilities Management also supports 38 outdoor classrooms and five school hydroponics programs.

“Sustainability and climate are intentionally integrated throughout our core science curriculum, helping all students connect their learning to the world around them,” said BPS K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering Program Director Nicole Guttenberg, PhD. “Our vision is to inspire students to understand, care about, and take action on the ways our lives and choices shape the climate and our shared future.”

School Climate and Sustainability Curriculums

Our sustainability and climate work is also taking shape at the school level, with schools like Boston Green Academy empowering students to be a key part of the transition to a greener, more just world by embedding sustainability into many aspects of the school experience, from the classroom curriculum, as well as beyond the school campus into the community. BGA aspires to make their sustainability and climate curriculum a whole school endeavor, not just something that students learn about in science or math classrooms. A winner of the 2019 U.S Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award, BGA continued to be a model green school in Boston and beyond.

"We know our students can be the next generation of green leaders, whether solving local issues or contributing to national solutions," said Boston Green Academy Head of School Matt Holzer. “The climate crisis impacts everyone, especially in urban areas like Boston, and we want our kids to have the skills and knowledge to make a difference.”

Additionally, BGA works to build key student skills through their Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program, which is the district’s only Environmental Science and Technology CTE program. The BGA CTE program annually sees about 25% of Grades 9-12 students participate in the program, which allows students to partner with industry leaders for internships and explore the career possibilities in this growing and important field. Upon completion of the BGA CTE program, students will also receive valuable industry-wide certifications that can open doors to employment and strengthen college applications.

"I never really cared about sustainability, even after all the sustainability this school has tried to push on me, one of my classes about Engineering and Green Physics kind of made me open up my eyes,” said Jaden Dominique, a Boston Green Academy Grade 12 Student. “When we were learning about the Upcycling project and although I didn't do well on it, it still showed me what's happening in the real world, and now, even though I'm hesitant, I'm even doing a sustainability internship that I never thought I would do."

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Survey Administration

School Health Profiles Survey Administration

This page contains information on survey administration processes for School Health Profiles (Profiles). Profiles is made up of three online, self-administered surveys — a questionnaire for Principals, a questionnaire for lead health education teachers (in middle and high schools), and a questionnaire for lead physical education teachers. See below for more information.

Why do all schools participate in Profiles?

All BPS schools participate in Profiles because an accurate view of the implementation of our current school health policies and program activities is critical for designing and administering programs to meet the needs of our students and staff and for allowing us to advocate for and allocate program resources equitably.

Profiles data are used to assess how schools are supporting student and staff health and wellness in the district through implementing policies and practices. The data from these surveys will be aggregated and used broadly to assist schools, the state education department, and community health organizations to understand how school practices affect student health and academic performance. Ultimately, results from Profiles are used to create and improve the implementation of policies and programs to support both student and staff health.

When are Profiles surveys administered?

How long are the Profiles surveys and who should complete them?

The surveys should take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete and do not need to be completed in one sitting. The survey links are individualized and answers are saved when you exit the browser. Surveys with saved answers can be accessed from other electronic devices or browsers. School leaders are also encouraged to delegate questions and complete their surveys as a team with other school staff.

The Elementary Principal survey should be completed by school leaders at a school where the highest grade is grade 6 or lower.
The Secondary Principal survey should be completed by school leaders at a school with any grades 7-12.
The Lead Health Education Teacher survey should be completed by the lead health education teacher at a school with any grades 7-12. If your school does not have a lead health education teacher, it should be completed by the staff teacher most knowledgeable about required instruction on health topics.
The Lead Physical Education Teacher survey should be completed by the lead physical education teacher at all schools.

How do I access my school’s surveys?

Personalized links for each school’s surveys will be sent from OHW at the start of the survey administration window on February 5, 2024. School leaders will receive links for all surveys their school should complete and can forward these links to the appropriate health education and physical education teachers. If school leaders have shared their health education teacher’s and physical education teacher’s contact information with OHW, these teachers will also receive direct links to their surveys.

Will our schools responses be kept confidential?

Yes. As a part of the research protocols for this national surveillance tool set by the CDC, all survey responses will be kept confidential. School-level data will never be shared publicly. Individual School Wellness Reports are shared directly with school leaders. Additionally, district staff that provide support to your school may submit a request to OHW to access your school’s Wellness Report to provide better-tailored professional development, resources, and support. Other schools will not have access to your results, and OHW will only share district-wide aggregated results with external stakeholders. Aggregated results may be stratified by grade level or school category, but there will always be a sufficient number of schools in the sample to protect your school’s privacy.

Contact:

profiles@bostonpublicschools.org