Protecting Our Children: The Critical Importance of Asbestos Management in Greenvale NY Schools and Public Buildings
When parents send their children to school each morning in Greenvale, Nassau County, they trust that these educational environments are safe and healthy. However, many school buildings constructed before the 1980s contain asbestos-containing materials (ACM) that require careful monitoring and professional management to protect student and staff health. Understanding the protocols governing asbestos management in public buildings, particularly schools, is essential for community members who want to ensure their children’s safety.
The Federal Framework: AHERA Requirements for School Districts
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), enacted in 1986, requires local education agencies to inspect their schools for asbestos-containing building material and prepare management plans to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards. Public school districts and non-profit schools including charter schools and schools affiliated with religious institutions must inspect their schools for asbestos-containing building material and prepare management plans.
AHERA regulations require public school districts and non-profit schools to perform an original inspection to determine whether asbestos-containing materials are present and then re-inspect asbestos-containing material in each school every three years. Additionally, schools must perform periodic visual surveillance every six months of all known or suspected asbestos containing building material.
Current Challenges in New York School Districts
Recent audits have revealed significant compliance issues within New York’s educational system. New York City’s Education Department completed mandated triennial inspections in just 18% of the more-than 1,400 schools with asbestos, with only 18% of schools containing asbestos having such inspections between 2021 and 2024. In every 3-year inspection cycle since 1997, the DOE failed to inspect most schools with known asbestos-containing materials.
These compliance failures highlight the importance of community awareness and professional asbestos management services. Without regular inspections and proper compliance, students, teachers, and faculty could be at risk of prolonged exposures to asbestos that has frayed and become airborne, with no levels of exposure to airborne asbestos considered safe.
Essential Components of School Asbestos Management Plans
Public school districts and non-profit schools are required to develop, maintain and update asbestos management plans and keep a copy at each individual school, documenting the recommended asbestos response actions, the location of the asbestos within the school, and any action taken to repair and remove the material.
These comprehensive plans must include:
- Name and address of each school building and whether the building has asbestos-containing building material, and blueprints that clearly identify the location of asbestos-containing building materials
- A designated contact person (asbestos designee) to ensure the responsibilities of the local education agency are properly implemented
- Custodial staff asbestos awareness training programs
- Annual written notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations regarding the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan for review
Community Rights and Responsibilities
Parents, teachers, and school employees have the right to inspect the school’s asbestos management plan, with schools required to notify parent-teacher organizations once a year about the availability of the plan and make it available for inspection within five working days of request.
Teachers and parents should actively monitor asbestos in school buildings, ask for asbestos management plans, and contact the person designated to oversee the plan to ensure the school follows all laws and regulations on asbestos.
Professional Asbestos Abatement Services in Greenvale
When asbestos issues are identified in schools or other public buildings, professional remediation becomes essential. Green Island Group specializes in asbestos abatement, demolition services, and more servicing Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and NYC. The company follows NYS, NYC, and USEPA regulations to ensure proper removal and protection of workers and occupants.
For Greenvale residents and school administrators seeking professional asbestos abatement greenvale services, Green Island Group NY serves as a go-to asbestos removal company with experts trained and certified to safely identify and remove asbestos-containing materials from properties in Greenvale, NY.
The company maintains a team of highly trained and certified asbestos removal specialists with extensive knowledge and experience in safely identifying, containing, and removing asbestos from residential, commercial, and industrial properties, following strict industry regulations and best practices.
Health Implications and the Importance of Professional Management
Airborne asbestos fibers become trapped in people’s lungs, becoming embedded in tissue and causing scarring and inflammation, leading to breathing problems and potentially severe illnesses such as asbestosis, pleural disease, lung cancer, colon cancer, and mesothelioma.
Research from the U.K. government’s Committee on Carcinogenicity showed children are more vulnerable to asbestos exposure than adults, with a 5-year-old child’s lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma cancer approximately five times greater than that of a 30-year-old adult.
Moving Forward: Ensuring Community Safety
Removal of asbestos materials is not usually necessary unless the material is severely damaged or will be disturbed by a building demolition or renovation project. However, work on asbestos must be performed in accordance with State Department of Labor Code Rule 56 and only by persons licensed in an appropriate asbestos discipline.
Green Island Group Corp. has successfully completed over 5,000 restoration services projects in the New York State area, demonstrating their commitment to community safety and environmental health.
For Greenvale NY school district administrators, parents, and community members, understanding these protocols and having access to qualified professional services ensures that our educational environments remain safe spaces for learning. By staying informed about AHERA requirements, advocating for proper inspections, and working with certified professionals when remediation is needed, we can protect the health and safety of our children and educational staff for generations to come.