Operation and Maintenance
The Board, through the Superintendent and his/her staff, has the responsibility of protecting the District’s facilities through a systematic maintenance program. The program shall include periodic preventive maintenance activities, long-range maintenance schedules, and emergency repair procedures. The District will make reasonable attempts to ensure that all maintenance work will be carried out in the least intrusive manner.
Construction and Remodeling of School Facilities
The District will ensure all capital projects and maintenance comply with the requirements of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the Manual of Planning Standards, and the Commissioner’s regulations
Inspections
The District is mindful of the health and safety of its students, staff, and visitors and, as such, the District administration will cooperate with appropriate officials conducting health, fire, asbestos, bus, and boiler inspections. In addition, the administration shall keep the Board of Education informed of the results of such inspections in a timely fashion.
In accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), the District will inform all employees and building occupants (or their legal guardians) at least once each school year about all asbestos inspections, response actions, post-response action activities, as well as triennial re-inspection activities and surveillance activities that are either planned or in progress. The District will provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations on the availability of the District’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos-related actions taken or planned in the school.
Comprehensive Public School Building Safety Program (RESCUE)
To ensure that all District facilities are properly maintained and preserved and provide suitable educational settings, the Board of Education requires that all occupied school facilities which are owned, operated or leased by the District comply with the provisions of the Comprehensive Public School Building Safety Program, the Uniform Code of Public School Building Inspections, and the Safety Rating and Monitoring as prescribed in Commissioner’s regulations. For this reason, the District shall develop a Comprehensive Public School Building Safety Program in accordance with Commissioner’s regulations.
The program shall be reevaluated and made current at least annually, and shall include, at a minimum, the following:
a) A five (5) year capital facilities plan which will include an appraisal of the following: the educational philosophy of the District, with resulting administrative organization and program requirements; present and projected student enrollments; space use and State-rated student capacity of existing facilities; the allocation of instructional space to meet the current and future education program and service needs, and to serve students with disabilities in settings with nondisabled peers; priority of need of maintenance, repair or modernization of existing facilities, including consideration of the obsolescence and retirement of certain facilities; and the provision of additional facilities.
b) A District-wide building inventory, which will include information pertaining to each building including, but not limited to:
1. Type of building, age of building, size of building;
2. Rated capacity, current enrollment;
3. List of energy sources and major systems (lighting, plumbing, electrical, heating); and
4. Summary of triennial Asbestos Inspection reports.
c) A building condition survey shall be conducted for all occupied school buildings once every five (5) years by a team that includes at least one (1) licensed architect or engineer.
d) A District-wide monitoring system which includes:
1. Establishing a Health and Safety Committee;
2. Development of detailed plans and a review process of all inspections;
3. Procedures for a response in writing to all inquiries about building health and safety concerns, a copy of which will be sent to the District’s Health and Safety Committee for oversight, and a copy kept on permanent file.
e) Procedures to ensure the safety of the building occupants while a construction/renovation project is taking place. These procedures will include:
1. Notification to parents, staff and the community at least two (2) months in advance of a construction project of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more to be conducted in a school building while the building is occupied; provided, however, that in the case of emergency construction projects, such notice shall be provided as far in advance of the start of construction as is practicable;
2. A plan to ensure that all contractors comply with all health and safety issues and regulations, and wear photo identification badges;
3. An opportunity for the District’s Health and Safety Committee to conduct a walk-through inspection of newly renovated or constructed areas to confirm that the area is ready to be reopened for use; and
4. An emergency plan which will address potential concerns with the capital project including, but not limited to, evacuation procedures, fire drills, and structural failures.
Asbestos Inspection: 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart E
15 USC Sections 2641-2656
Fire Inspection: Education Law Section 807-a
8 NYCRR Section 155.4
Health and Safety Committee: 8 NYCRR Section 155. 4(d)(1)
Plans and Specifications: Education Law Sections 408, 408-a and 409
8 NYCRR Sections 155.1 and 155.2
19 NYCRR Sections 1221-1240
Structural Safety Inspections: Education Law Sections 409-d, 409-e, 3602 and 3641(4)
8 NYCRR Sections 155.1, 155.3, and 155.4(b)(1)
Adopted February 15, 2022