Asbestos in Schools

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, known as AHERA, requires covered schools to inspect buildings for asbestos-containing materials, prepare a management plan, and reinspect regularly. Schools must designate a person responsible for asbestos compliance and train custodial and maintenance staff who work around these materials. They must also notify parents, teachers and employees each year about the management plan and any planned asbestos activities. These rules were designed to manage materials safely in place and to control exposure during repairs and removal. Accredited inspectors and management planners must carry out this work, and records must be kept for review.

Custodians and maintenance workers historically faced the greatest risk. They swept up debris from damaged ceilings, repaired pipe insulation, stripped floors and worked in boiler rooms, often before rules required training or protective equipment. Teachers could be exposed when ceiling tiles were moved, when materials deteriorated in classrooms, or during renovation work while school was in session. Students may also have had exposure in poorly maintained buildings. Anyone who worked in schools for many years should include those buildings in their exposure history. Bus mechanics and cafeteria workers in older facilities sometimes faced exposure as well, depending on the equipment and building.

Schools must make their asbestos management plan available for review, usually at the school or district office. The plan lists where asbestos materials are located, their condition and any response actions taken. If you worked in a school decades ago, the district may still have records of past inspections, repairs or abatement projects. Former coworkers can often recall which areas had damaged insulation. These details can help establish exposure for medical records and any legal review. Yearbooks, pay records and pension statements can also confirm which schools you worked in and when. Retired staff associations sometimes help members reconnect with former colleagues.

1. 1

   Ask your school district office to let you review the asbestos management plan.

2. 2

   List the school buildings where you worked or studied, with approximate years.

3. 3

   Contact former custodial or maintenance coworkers who may remember damaged materials.

4. 4

   Request records of past abatement projects if you worked during renovations.