HASS Healthy & Safe Schools
In 2015, the Oregon Legislature passed Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 581-022-2223, which requires school districts to develop a Healthy and Safe Schools Plan to address environmental safety concerns

AHERA

In October 1986, the US congress enacted the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). AHERA requires that all K-12 grade educational system must provide for the inspection of their school facilities for asbestos-containing materials. When asbestos-containing materials are found, the school must develop an asbestos management program to ensure that the facility is free of any potential health hazards that may be related to the presence of asbestos building material.

AHERA Section 763.83 defines the following as school buildings:

  1. any structure suitable for use as a classroom, including a school facility such as a laboratory, library, school eating facility, or facility used for the preparation of food;
  2. any gymnasium or other facility which is specially designed for athletic or recreational activities for an academic course in physical education; or
  3. any other facility used for the instruction or housing of students or for the administration of educational or research programs; and any maintenance, storage, or utility facility, including any hallway, essential to the operation of any facility described in (a), (b), and (c).

Any building which meets the above noted definition of a school building is covered under AHERA and must be inspected for asbestos. If any asbestos containing building material (ACBM) is found during the initial inspection, these buildings must be re-inspected triennially for asbestos. The 1995 AHERA triennial re-inspection must be completed no later than July 9, 1995.

Sisters School District employ the services of a professional asbestos management firm who has completed a study to determine the presence, location, and quantity of asbestos-containing materials in all district facilities.  The facilities have been recently re-inspected in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for asbestos-containing materials and this study, as well as all historic data regarding asbestos, is available for your review.

Public Notice

In compliance with state and federal regulations covering asbestos in schools, Sisters School District has on file all asbestos information at the Operations Office located at 15100 McKenzie Hwy, Sisters Oregon 97759. All information is available for public inspection during normal working hours.

HASS Healthy & Safe Schools

In 2015, the Oregon Legislature passed Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 581-022-2223, which requires school districts to develop a Healthy and Safe Schools Plan to address environmental safety concerns including: a plan for testing district-owned buildings for radon as required under ORS 332.167; a plan to test and reduce exposure to lead in water used for drinking or food preparation; a plan to reduce exposure to lead paint that includes the following compliance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program Rule; a plan to implement integrated pest management practices as required under ORS 634.700 through 634.750; and a plan to communicate results for all tests required under the Healthy and Safe Schools Plan.

Radon

Radon comes from natural deposits of uranium in the soil. It is found everywhere in the world. Uranium naturally decays into radium that further breaks down into radon gas. While some geographic areas have more radon than others, the only way to determine a building’s radon level is to test it. Any building has the potential for elevated levels of radon. Because radon is a gas, it can move up through the soil, allowing it to enter buildings in contact with the soil. Radon is typically at its highest concentration in the lower portion of a building. Once radon enters a building, it is easily dispersed through the air. It then begins a radioactive decay process that leads to creating radon decay products. Radon gas itself is relatively harmless until it produces these decay products. The decay products release damaging energy particles that strike lung tissue and lead to lung tissue damage if inhaled.

(Source: Testing for Elevated Radon in Oregon Schools: A Protocol and Plan, Version 1.0 – 2016, Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, p. 8)