To accommodate the district’s educational program, the Board of Education is committed to providing suitable and adequate facilities. To this end, proper maintenance and inspection procedures are essential. The Board directs the Superintendent of Schools to ensure that proper maintenance and inspection procedures are developed for every school building.
Consistent with federal and state law and regulations, the following items will be included in the district’s buildings and grounds maintenance and inspection procedures:
Comprehensive Maintenance Plan
A comprehensive maintenance plan for all major building systems will be instituted to ensure the building is maintained in a state of good repair. Such plan will include provisions for a least toxic approach to integrated pest management and establish maintenance procedures and guidelines which will contribute to acceptable indoor air quality. The plan shall be available for public inspection.
Procedures will also be established to ensure the safety of building occupants during maintenance activities including standards for exiting and ventilation, asbestos and lead protocols, noise abatement and control of chemical fumes, gases and other contaminants.
Building Condition Surveys
Each occupied district building will be assessed every five years by a building condition survey on a schedule established by the State Education Department. This survey will be conducted by a team that includes at least one licensed architect or engineer and will include a list of all program spaces and inspection of building system components for evidence of movement, deterioration, structural failure, probable useful life, need for repair and maintenance and need for replacement. Building condition survey reports will be completed and submitted to the Commissioner by the
deadlines established by SED.
Visual Inspections
A visual inspection of building system components in each occupied district building will take place when required by the State of Commissioner of Education. The inspection will be conducted by a team including a local code enforcement official, the Facilities Director or his/her
designee, and a member of the Health and Safety Committee. The inspection report will be made available to the public. A corrective action plan will be developed by a licensed architect or engineer if a deficiency exists in the building.
Fire Safety Inspections
An annual inspection for fire and safety hazards will be conducted in accordance with a schedule established by the Commissioner of Education. The inspection will be conducted by a qualified fire inspector and the report will be kept in the district office. Any violation of the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code shall be corrected immediately or within a time frame approved by the Commissioner.
Safety Rating System
A safety rating keyed to the structural integrity and overall safety of each occupied school building will be provided on an annual basis in consultation with the Health and Safety Committee. Safety ratings will be based on the safety rating system developed by the Commissioner and will comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements.
Building Principals shall, on an on-going basis, undertake their own inspections of school buildings and grounds, searching for any dangerous or hazardous conditions and take immediate steps to remedy the problem.
Cross-Ref.:
- 6200, Annual Budget
- 7100, Facilities Planning
- 7365, Construction Safety
- 8110, School Building Safety
- 8112, Health and Safety Committee
- 8115, Pesticides and Pest Management
Ref:
- 29 CFR § 1910 et seq (OSHA Hazard Communication)
- 40 CFR Part 763 (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act)
- Education Law §409-d (Comprehensive Public School Safety Program); §409 e (Uniform Code of Public School Buildings Inspections, Safety Rating and Monitoring); §807-a (Fire Inspections)
- Labor Law §§ 875-883(toxic substances)
- Public Health Law §4800-4808 (Right to Know, toxic substances)
- Environmental Conservation Law §33-0725 (Pesticides)
- 6 NYCRR Part 325 (Pesticides)
- 8 NYCRR §155.1(Educational Facilities); 155.4 (Uniform Code of Public School Buildings Inspection, Safety Rating and Monitoring); 155.8 (Fire and Building Safety Inspections)
- 9 NYCRR Parts 600-1250 (Uniform Fire Prevention & Building Code)
- 12 NYCRR Part 56 (Industrial Code Rule concerning asbestos)
- Appeal of Anibaldi, 33 Educ. Dep’t Rep. 166 (1993) (district required to monitor student’s physical symptoms when air quality caused health problems)
- Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based point Hazards in Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington D.C., June 1995)
- IPM Workbook for New York State Schools, Cornell Cooperative Extension Community IPM Program with support from New York State Dept. Of Environmental Conservation, August 1998
Adoption date: March 26, 2001
Revised: January 11, 2016
Reviewed: August 28, 2017
Revised: September 13, 2021