8220 Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Inspection

To accommodate the District’s educational program, the Board of Education is committed to providing suitable and adequate facilities. To this end, proper maintenance and inspection procedures are essential. The Board directs the Superintendent of Schools, or his/her designee, to ensure that proper maintenance and inspection procedures are developed for every school building. 

 

Consistent with Federal and State law and regulations, the following items will be included in the District’s buildings and grounds maintenance and inspection procedures:

 

Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

 

A comprehensive maintenance plan for all major building systems will be instituted to ensure the building is maintained in a state of good repair. Such plan will include provisions for a least toxic approach to integrated pest management and establish maintenance procedures and guidelines that will contribute to acceptable indoor air quality. The plan shall be available for public inspection.

 

Procedures will also be established to ensure the safety of building occupants during maintenance activities including standards for exiting and ventilation, asbestos and lead protocols, noise abatement and control of chemical fumes, gases and other contaminants.

 

Building Condition Surveys

 

Each occupied District building will be assessed every five (5) years by a building condition survey. This survey will be conducted by a team of District employees and at least one licensed architect or engineer and will include a list of all program spaces and inspection of building system components for evidence of movement, deterioration, structural failure, probable useful life, need for repair and maintenance and need for replacement.  Building condition survey reports will be submitted to the Commissioner by January 15, 2021 and January 15th of every fifth year thereafter.

 

Annual Visual Inspections

 

A visual inspection of building system components in each occupied District building will take place annually except for years in which a Building Condition Survey is performed. The inspection will be conducted by a team including a local code enforcement official, the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations] or his/her designee, a member of the District-appointed Health and Safety Committee [and the Safety Advisory Board. The inspection will be completed by November 15th of each year.

 

A corrective action plan will be developed by a licensed architect or engineer if a deficiency exists in the building.

 

Fire Safety Inspections

 

An annual inspection for fire and safety hazards will be conducted in accordance with a schedule established by the Commissioner of Education. The inspection will be conducted by a qualified fire inspector and the report will be kept in the District office.  Any violation of the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code shall be corrected immediately or within a time frame approved by the Commissioner. 

 

 

Safety Rating System

 

A safety rating keyed to the structural integrity and overall safety of each occupied school building will be provided on an annual basis in consultation with the Health and Safety Committee. Safety ratings will be based on the safety rating system developed by the Commissioner and will comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Building Principals shall, on an on-going basis, undertake their own inspections of school buildings and grounds, and immediately notify the Superintendent or his/her designee regarding any dangerous or hazardous conditions.

 

 

 

Cross-Ref.:   6110, Budget Planning

                     7100, Facilities Planning

                     7365, Construction Safety

                     8110, School Building Safety

                     8112, Health & Safety Committee

                     8115, Pesticides and Pest Management

 

 

Ref:    29 CFR  1910 et seq (OSHA Hazard Communication)

40 CFR Part 763 (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act)

Education Law 409-d (Comprehensive Public School Safety Program); 409-e (Uniform Code of Public-School Buildings Inspections, Safety Rating and Monitoring); 807-a (Fire Inspections)

Labor Law  875-883(toxic substances)

Public Health Law 4800-4808 (Right to Know, toxic substances)

Environmental Conservation Law 33-0725 (Pesticides)       

6 NYCRR Part 325 (Pesticides)

8 NYCRR 155.1(Educational Facilities); 155.4 (Uniform Code of Public School Buildings Inspection, Safety Rating and Monitoring); 155.8 (Fire and Building Safety Inspections)

9 NYCRR Parts 600-1250 (Uniform Fire Prevention & Building Code)

12 NYCRR Part 56 (Industrial Code Rule concerning asbestos)

Appeal of Anibaldi, 33 Educ. Dep’t Rep. 166 (1993) (district required to monitor student’s physical symptoms when air quality caused health problems)

Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based point Hazards in Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington D.C., June 1995)

IPM Workbook for New York State Schools, Cornell Cooperative Extension Community IPM Program with support from New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, August 1998

 

 

 

Approved by the Board of Education:                                           12/16/10

Revision Approved by the Board of Education:                           10/20/16

 

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