The School District has reached an important milestone in its asbestos management program: as of July, all District schools have undergone the extensive asbestos inspections required under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in this three-year cycle.

AHERA includes two types of inspections – 3-year inspections, which are done at 294 facilities throughout the District, and then surveillance events that follow at 6-month intervals. The inspections look to identify any damage in materials containing asbestos so repairs can be planned. The District has nearly completed all building inspections this cycle – all schools are done – and has already started its 6-month check-ins.

Last year, the Office of Environmental Management & Services brought in Tetra Tech to manage its asbestos inspection program. Each of these inspections comes with a detailed report that can span hundreds of pages with thousands of data points that must go through a quality control process. OEMS is working diligently to have finalized hard copies of these reports available at each building.