Noah Webster Basic School, a public-charter school in Mesa, Arizona, has been fined $2,400 for violating federal regulations dealing with asbestos. $2,400 for exposing unsuspecting kids, staff, teachers, and parents to asbestos and possibly causing at least one of them to have future health problems. $2,400 doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent.
In April 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that school officials had failed to check for asbestos and did not have a plan on file, as required for all schools.
School officials have since had inspectors check for asbestos, which was not found in the school, and the school now has a plan to comply with the law. Yay.
Federal law requires schools have asbestos inspections, and even if none is found, schools must develop a management plan. But it’s only $2,400 if you fail to comply, so…..
Schools are supposed to identify a designated person dealing with the plan, which must be made available annually to parents, teachers, and employees.
Asbestos was widely used as a fire-retardant and as electrical insulation in building materials before it was associated with severe health risks we know about today.
Vicki Dry, the Noah Webster business manager, said the school’s architect did not provide an affidavit to show EPA officials there were no asbestos materials used when the school was built in 2005.
“We didn’t have that form so they (the EPA) said we weren’t compliant,” Dry said. “We had to spend money to get everything put together … and the expenses came out of the fine … so basically no payment to the EPA.”
The school houses prekindergarten through sixth-grade and is now a mere $2,400 poorer. Who knows? A stiffer fine may be conducive to making schools a little more proactive in protecting students’ health.
