Safe Green Schools Holds Roundtable
Safe Green Schools, in collaboration with Parents United for Public Schools and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, hosted a Building Safe Green Schools Together Roundtable on March 25th at the Columbus Mennonite Church, to discuss the Columbus City Schools’ transition to cost saving green energy infrastructure.
The conversation featured State Senator Bill DeMora, School Board Vice President Sarah Ingles, School Board Member Jennifer Adair, Assistant Director of Sustainable Columbus Erin Beck, and parents & students who led the effort.
Photo by Lenn Black
Columbus City Schools has passed the Safe Green Schools Policy and is preparing to launch its first solar energy project. Amid continuing state budget cuts and rising energy costs, this initiative saves money that can be redirected to classrooms while strengthening the district’s resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Sarah Ingles. Photo by Lenn Black
Safe Green Schools
The event was hosted by Safe Green Schools, a group of Columbus parents, teachers, students, labor leaders, and policy experts teaming up to tackle a silent crisis harming student’s health, fossil fuels in schools.
Together with groups like the Columbus Parent Impact, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and the Ohio Environmental Council, it is striving to see that every school is running on clean energy. Every kid deserves clean air, safe buildings, and schools that help them thrive. But rising energy costs, outdated buildings, and unhealthy indoor air make learning harder and strain our families.
Green Schools. Photo by Lenn Black
Safe Green Schools is fighting for classrooms that stay warm in winter and cool in summer, clean, healthy air so kids can learn and play safely, and schools powered by safe, reliable, affordable energy.
The Safe Green Schools Policy
In a unanimous vote, the Columbus City Schools (CCS) Board of Education has officially passed the Safe Green Schools Policy. This is a significant milestone for students, families, and the future of public education in Columbus.
The policy requires the district to explore cost-saving, energy-efficient solutions every time a building is repaired or newly constructed. That includes transitioning to renewable energy and clean infrastructure. This ensures accountability and creates a framework for real, measurable progress, not just promises. As Ohio’s largest school district, Columbus is demonstrating what is possible and setting a precedent for other districts to follow.
It is the result of sustained organizing by parents, educators, students, caregivers, and community members who came together to advocate for green schools as a smart, forward-looking budget solution and an investment in our children’s future. At a time when school districts are seeing severe budget cuts, rising utility costs, and aging infrastructure, CCS is responding with cost-saving infrastructure improvements such as solar power, geothermal HVAC systems, energy-efficient windows & doors, and LED lighting.
Parents United for Public Schools
Parents United for Public Schools is a grassroots organization of public-school parents and caregivers in Ohio whose purpose is to defend & transform public education. It believes that all children should have the freedom to pursue their dreams and is fighting for an Ohio where every public school is equipped with the resources to deliver a quality education.
Public Schools
It envisions a public school system where every child is seen, supported, and set up to succeed with the resources, staff, and opportunities they deserve. Every child deserves an excellent public education, no matter their zip code, ability, or background.
Ohio Organizing Collaborative
The Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) is a grassroots people-centered organization with labor unions and policy institutes throughout Ohio. Its mission is to organize everyday Ohioans, building transformative power organizations for racial, social, & economic justice. Its vision is to build a democratic multi-racial populist governing coalition in Ohio.
Its priorities are centered around economic justice, through raising wages, healthcare, income support, and access to affordable quality education; criminal justice, through police & prosecutor accountability, community reinvestment, and drug policy & bail reform; and structural democracy reform by expanding voting rights.
This is a great article, Lenn. Thanks so much for highlighting the good work of Columbus City Schools. They get so much negative press. I wish the Dispatch would cover this. Maybe you’d consider sending it to them?
Thanks, Sheila!