deleterious to classroom procedure, and sufficiently serious to cause the Highline District to undertake noise surveys of impacted schools. The remediation of the problems identified during these in-depth studies focused upon remedial construction of the school buildings, hoping thereby to reduce external noise infractions and allow uninterrputed classroom activity.

In a presentation to the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Noise Abatement and Control in San Francisco, California, September 27, 1971, Mayor Wes Uhlman of Seattle stated:

"I am also suggesting that Seattle and its environs have very typical noise problems. Our major airport has an average of 220 flights a day during daylight hours... Noise peaks at the airport affecting residences are measured in the 95-100 dBA levels. In both cases, the most disturbing feature is the intermittent intrusions: on the freeway it is a roaring truck, and at the airport it is the shattering impact of the low-flying jet. Aircraft noise makes communication impossible for up to 90 minutes of each school day in at least one school near our airport.

"Ironically, much of this blight of the human environment in our city comes as a legacy of the generosity of the federal government. Our highways, our airports and indeed all jet aircraft are heavily subsidized by the federal government . . . I note that in Los Angeles, airport commissioners have committed local funds of about $200 million to destroy 400 acres of residence which are blighted by aircraft noise. Nearly 2,000 homes will simply be demolished because the noise blight makes them unfit for human habitation."

The citizens of the Highline School District have a growing animosity about the effect of noise pollution, and share Mayor Uhlman's concern that much of the noise blight can be traced to the generosity of the federal government. The staff of the Highline School District shares this concern, particularly as it relates to the educational processes in the district schools. As a result, during December, 1969, the Board of Directors of the Highline School District instructed the staff to investigate the impact of airplane noise on school facilities and propose alternative solutions.

Beginning in January, 1970, meetings were held with Mr. Peter Breysse, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, concerning the noise problem in Highline. Mr. Breysse agreed to conduct some noise level readings to determine the severity of the problem in this school district. These noise level readings point to the severity of the noise intrusion problem in the schools of the Highline District.

HIGHLINE SCHOOL DISTRICT, RESULTS OF NOISE LEVEL INVESTIGATION-INSTRUCTIONAL TIME INTERRUPTIONS

It is obvious from these findings that a great deal of instructional time is being lost in the school surrounding Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Further investigation has reported noise levels in excess of 100 dBA at times in school classrooms. The impact of these noise intrusions is an increasingly serious problem not only for the educational process but for the citizens that must live and work with these interruptions.

In an attempt to find assistance with the problem, staff members of the Highline School District have made the following contacts with agencies and individuals:

Facilities, Engineering & Construction Agency, Region X, H.E.W., Mr. Robert Mommsen, Regional Engineer.

U.S. Office of Education, Mr. Wm. McLaughlin, Regional Commissioner.
Environmental Protection Agency, Miss Anita Frankel, Seattle, Washington.
U.S. Office of Education, Region X, Director, Educational Research.

Public Health Service, Mr. John Moran.

Washington State University, School of Architecture, Mr. Dave Scott, Chair

man.

Federal Aviation Administration, Renton Office, Mr. Walter Stock.

Port of Seattle, Mr. Don Shay, Director of Aviation.

Health, Education and Welfare, Seattle Office, Mr. Doug Hanson.

Health, Education and Welfare, Administrator, San Francisco, Calif., Mr. Cy Everest, Regional Assistant.

Health, Education and Welfare, Dr. Alex Cohen, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Housing and Urban Development, Mr. George Winzar, Washington, D.C.

Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc., Acoustical Firm, Dr. Dwight Bishop, Los Angeles, Calif.

Bureau of Occupational Health & Safety, Mr. Alan Stevens, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bolt, Beranek & Newman, Inc., Acoustical Firm, Dr. Peter Franken, Cambridge, Mass.

Deasey & Dolling, Architects, Mr. Robert Bolling, Los Angeles, Calif.

Educational Facilities Laboratory, Mr. Alan Green, Secretary Treasurer, New York, New York.

Long Beach School District.

Los Angeles School District.

Boston School District.

Chicago School District.

Health, Education and Welfare, Mr. James Knockenhauer, Acting, Regional Environmental Control Director.

King County Executive, Mr. John Spellman.

Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman's Office, Mr. King Lysen.

Office of Senator Warren G. Magnuson, U.S. Senate, Mr. Warren F. Reid, Washington, D.C.

Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Facilities Engineering & Construction Agency, Research and Development, Mr. Robert W. Blake, Director, Mr. Len Slagle, Senior Research Architect.

National Aeronautics & Space Admin., Washington, D.C. Mr. Roy P. Jockson, Assoc. Admin. for Advanced Research & Technology; Mr. Duff Ginter, Assistant.

Department of Health, Education & Welfare, Washington, D.C., Mr. Gerrit D. Fremouw, Director, Office of Facilities Engineering and Constuction Agency. Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education, Mr. Glen C. Boerrigter, Chief, Applied Research Branch, Division of Research.

University of Washington, Mr. Kenneth D. Garrison, Chief Architect.

Industrial Noise Services, Inc., Palo Alto, California.

Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Mr. Ken Latcholia, Mr. John Spivey.

Dept. of Health, Education & Welfare, Office of Federal Assisted Construction,
FECA, Mr. Benson L. Dutton, Director.

Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C., Mr. Richard Skully, Direc-
tor, Office of Environmental Quality, Mr. Ray Shepanek, Assistant.
Office of Noise Abatement, Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.,
Mr. Charles R. Foster, Director.

Of these agencies, the Educational Facilities Laboratory, New York, indicated an interest in assisting the school district by providing consultant help to assess the severity of the problem and begin exploring alternative solutions. A small grant to the Highline District has been made by E.F.L. with the express purpose of further research into the alleviation of the noise problem through construction alternatives. This study-to be completed by August of 1973-includes the following steps:

A. Simultaneous measurement within and without the classroom during numerous flyovers.

B. Measurement of the period of time during which sound levels in dBA exceeded predetermined, tolerable levels in order to estimate the amount of time lost due to inability to communicate.

C. Establishment of a tolerance noise criteria within the classroom, based upon the special noise climate requirement of each classroom.

D. Calculation of the noise reduction from inside to outside of building.

E. Preparation of plans modifying the existing construction (by an architectural firm) which would improve the sound isolation of the exterior partition/roof system and meet varying degrees of noise reduction criteria.

F. Estimates of construction costs based upon those varying degrees of acoustical satisfaction which different classrooms required.

This was an extensive research project funded by a single school district. It was conceived and executed in the desperate hope of finding a simple, or at least economically feasible, solution to the noise problem. In the final analysis, however, the Highline School District found that the costs of repair which would meet even compromise criteria far exceed their ability to obtain requisite funding.

The current study, funded by Educational Facilities Laboratory, includes a physiological and behavioral assessment of the effects of jet noise on students. This portion of the study includes the measurement of hearing level, blood pressure, emotional responses, vocal behavior, and attitudes as manifested by students. Results will be reported as they become available.

A search of the literature was conducted, which pointed up the severity of the problem of noise pollution. The October 11, 1971, issue of Time magazine (pages 91 states that ". . . the din occasionally reaches 90 decibels, enough to cause permanent damage to hearing in 10% of the people who might be exposed to it for eight hours a day." This reference was made to office buildings in the Loop area of Chicago as particularly demonstrating the severity of the problem. The staff of the Highline District is particularly concerned about this statement, as the school children in several of the Highline schools are exposed to sound levels in excess of 100 decibels.

Although the literature of late portrays the severity of the problem, there is little available information on remediation, particularly in the educational arena. With the exception of demolition or abandonment of buildings, educators have not at this point begun to scientifically study the problem.

The Highline School District has concluded, after several years of intensive study, that:

1. There is very little scientific study being conducted nationally on the noise pollution problem, particularly in the area of educational facilities.

2. There is very little support available from governmental agencies for the remediation of noise pollution problems in the nation's schools

3. Extreme pressure is being applied upon local governmental agencies to remedy the noise problem. The Highline School District Board of Directors has been under growing pressure from the community to relieve this serious deterrent to the instructional program.

The Highline School District would encourage the federal government to take the next step toward solving what has grown into a most severe problem. The serious loss of instructional time in the schools surrounding major airports is of concern to the citizens of this country. Some local school officials have undertaken the remediation of this noise pollution problem, but find that without additional support, further study will be virtually impossible.