The Arizona Republic
Oct. 6, 2006 12:00 AM
PHOENIX - Five Phoenix high
schools have been slapped with asbestos violations, as the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency cracks down on the state's public
charter schools.
"Arizona has more than 500 charter schools and many hold classes in older buildings, which tend to have more asbestos," said Ron Tsuchiya, asbestos coordinator for the EPA's Southwest region. "Of the charter schools that we've done spot checks on, none were in compliance."
According to the EPA, Summit High School, GateWay Early College High School, Friendly House Academia Del Pueblo Elementary School, Arizona School for the Arts, and Vicki A. Romero High School all failed to conduct asbestos inspections or failed to have adequate asbestos-management plans as required by federal law, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1987.
Each of the Phoenix Schools was fined $11,700 but was allowed to subtract the costs of complying with the regulation from the fine, EPA officials said.
Most public school districts have long fallen into compliance with the federal act and maintain successful management plans, Tsuchiya said. But charter schools often aren't as savvy about the law, he added.
Hence, the federal agency is focusing on Arizona charter schools, including schools in Phoenix and Tucson and will likely expand efforts to other states, including California, he said.
"In our case, we lease our building and were told it was in full compliance," said Mark Francis, executive director of the Arizona School for the Arts. "But once we learned we weren't, we did what we needed to do to correct it and spent about $16,000 to fix the problem."
Asbestos is a strong flame-resistant fiber widely used for fireproofing and insulation. Its mere presence is not a health threat. Construction work can disburse it into the air, which is why schools must have asbestos management plans, Tsuchiya said.
"Arizona has more than 500 charter schools and many hold classes in older buildings, which tend to have more asbestos," said Ron Tsuchiya, asbestos coordinator for the EPA's Southwest region. "Of the charter schools that we've done spot checks on, none were in compliance."
According to the EPA, Summit High School, GateWay Early College High School, Friendly House Academia Del Pueblo Elementary School, Arizona School for the Arts, and Vicki A. Romero High School all failed to conduct asbestos inspections or failed to have adequate asbestos-management plans as required by federal law, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1987.
Each of the Phoenix Schools was fined $11,700 but was allowed to subtract the costs of complying with the regulation from the fine, EPA officials said.
Most public school districts have long fallen into compliance with the federal act and maintain successful management plans, Tsuchiya said. But charter schools often aren't as savvy about the law, he added.
Hence, the federal agency is focusing on Arizona charter schools, including schools in Phoenix and Tucson and will likely expand efforts to other states, including California, he said.
"In our case, we lease our building and were told it was in full compliance," said Mark Francis, executive director of the Arizona School for the Arts. "But once we learned we weren't, we did what we needed to do to correct it and spent about $16,000 to fix the problem."
Asbestos is a strong flame-resistant fiber widely used for fireproofing and insulation. Its mere presence is not a health threat. Construction work can disburse it into the air, which is why schools must have asbestos management plans, Tsuchiya said.
