Electric school buses are good for all

Thank you, Daily Herald, for the article “Leading the Charge” on Jan. 13 regarding electric school buses.

Organizations like the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Illinois Environmental Council and Sierra Club have been focused on supporting local school districts to take advantage of funding to begin transitioning their bus fleets for quite a while. As a former special education teacher, I can tell you, our most vulnerable populations, younger students and those with health compromises are most endangered by the filthy diesel fumes and particulate matter expelled from those buses. These pollutants lead to a wide range of diseases like asthma and breathing disorders, frequently causing students to miss school and parents to miss work.

Add to that the common use of steroids as a treatment to the disease and now we see an increase in disruptive classroom behavior in some children. We are imploring school districts to utilize federal, state and utility funding to transition for a cleaner, healthier future for their students.

Our students deserve it, our staff deserve it and our environment deserves consideration for a cleaner future.

Connie Schmidt

Chair River Prairie Group Sierra Club

Warrenville