Each day over 53 million school children and 6 million adults--20 percent of the entire U.S. population--enter the nation's 120,000 school buildings to teach and learn. Unfortunately, in too many cases, they enter "unhealthy" school buildings," that undermine learning and health. In a recent five-state survey, more than 1,100 public schools were built within a half-mile of a toxic waste site. Polluted indoor air, toxic chemical and pesticide use, growing molds, lead in paint and drinking water, and asbestos are also factors that impact the health of the nation's students and school staff. These problems contribute to absenteeism, student medication use, learning difficulties, sick building syndrome, staff turnover, and greater liability for school districts. Clear and convincing research shows that improving school indoor environmental quality, siting, and design, using non-toxic products for cleaning, maintenance and instruction, providing more natural daylight, and creating energy efficient, neighborhood schools with adequate, safe space for outdoor activities, will all contribute to protecting the health of the children, to improving public education, and to creating healthier communities. This paper suggests several actions that elected and appointed officials can take to create healthier schools and communities. [Additional sponsorship for this message was provided by: American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; Alliance for Healthy Homes; Beyond Pesticides; Center for Health Environment and Justice; Children's Environmental Health Network; Children's Health Environmental Coalition; Connecticut Foundation for Environmentally Safe Schools; Illinois Healthy Schools Campaign; Improving Kids Environment; Institute for Children's Environmental Health; Learning Disabilities Association of America; Marin Golden Gate Learning Disabilities Association; Massachusetts Healthy Schools Network; National Center for Environmental Health Strategies; National Education Association/Health Information Network; New Jersey Work Environment Council; New Jersey Environmental Federation; Oregon Environmental Council; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Stuyvesant High School Parent Association, NY, NY; Twenty-first Century Schools Fund; Washington Healthy Schools Roundtable; West Harlem Environmental Action, NY, NY; and more than 380 other supporting organizations and individuals.]