| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to educational facilities; creating s. |
| 3 | 1013.135, F.S.; requiring each district school board to |
| 4 | adopt and implement an indoor air quality program; |
| 5 | requiring annual reports to the Department of Education; |
| 6 | requiring uniform air quality inspections and evaluations; |
| 7 | providing requirements for educational facility sites and |
| 8 | project plans; providing requirements for heating, |
| 9 | ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; requiring |
| 10 | maintenance of records; requiring school district or |
| 11 | educational facility indoor air quality committees; |
| 12 | requiring indoor environmental quality training programs |
| 13 | for staff; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Section 1013.135, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 18 | to read: |
| 19 | 1013.135 Indoor air quality of educational facilities.-- |
| 20 | (1) Each district school board shall adopt and implement |
| 21 | an indoor air quality program using the guidelines of the United |
| 22 | States Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality |
| 23 | Tools for Schools Program to provide for ongoing maintenance and |
| 24 | facility reviews necessary for the improvement and proper |
| 25 | maintenance of the indoor air quality of its educational |
| 26 | facilities. |
| 27 | (2) Each district school board shall annually report to |
| 28 | the Department of Education on the condition of the air quality |
| 29 | of its educational facilities and the action taken to implement |
| 30 | its indoor air quality program and long-range building program |
| 31 | through the district educational facilities plan and district |
| 32 | facilities work program. |
| 33 | (3) Before January 2010 and every 5 years thereafter, each |
| 34 | district school board shall conduct a uniform air quality |
| 35 | inspection and evaluation of its educational facilities built or |
| 36 | renovated after January 1, 2005, using the United States |
| 37 | Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for |
| 38 | Schools Kit. Educational facilities built before January 1, |
| 39 | 2005, which are not scheduled for renovation are subject to such |
| 40 | inspection and evaluation every 2 years beginning with the |
| 41 | implementation of the school district's indoor air quality |
| 42 | program. A district school board conducting an inspection and |
| 43 | evaluation under this subsection shall make available for public |
| 44 | inspection at a regularly scheduled district school board |
| 45 | meeting the results of the inspection and evaluation. |
| 46 | (4) Prior to approval for new construction, a district |
| 47 | school board shall provide for an environmental site assessment |
| 48 | relating to air quality pursuant to s. 1013.365. A district |
| 49 | school board may not approve an educational facility site or |
| 50 | project plan if: |
| 51 | (a) The site is in an area of moderate or high radon |
| 52 | potential, unless the project plan incorporates construction |
| 53 | techniques to mitigate radon levels in the air of the facility; |
| 54 | or |
| 55 | (b) The standards of the State Uniform Building Code for |
| 56 | Educational Facilities Construction for heating, ventilating, |
| 57 | and air-conditioning systems are not met. |
| 58 | (5) Each district school board shall ensure that the |
| 59 | heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems of each of |
| 60 | its educational facilities are: |
| 61 | (a) Maintained and operated in accordance with the |
| 62 | prevailing maintenance standards, such as the standards of the |
| 63 | American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning |
| 64 | Engineers (ASHRAE), at the time of installation or renovation of |
| 65 | the system. |
| 66 | (b) Operated continuously during the hours that students |
| 67 | or school personnel occupy the facilities except during |
| 68 | scheduled maintenance and emergency repairs or during periods |
| 69 | for which school officials can demonstrate to the department's |
| 70 | satisfaction that the quantity of outdoor air supplied by an air |
| 71 | supply system that is not mechanically driven meets the ASHRAE |
| 72 | standards for air changes per hour. |
| 73 | (6) Each district school board shall maintain records of |
| 74 | the maintenance of its heating, ventilating, and air- |
| 75 | conditioning systems for at least 5 years. |
| 76 | (7) Each district school board shall establish an indoor |
| 77 | air quality committee for the school district or for each |
| 78 | facility using the guidelines established by the United States |
| 79 | Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for |
| 80 | Schools Program to increase staff and student awareness of |
| 81 | facets of the environment which may affect the health of the |
| 82 | occupants of the facilities, including, but not limited to, air |
| 83 | quality and the presence of radon. |
| 84 | (8) Each district school board shall develop an indoor |
| 85 | environmental quality training program for facilities, |
| 86 | maintenance, and custodial staff. New employees must complete |
| 87 | the training program within the first 60 days following |
| 88 | employment. Existing employees must complete the training |
| 89 | program within 1 year after the implementation of the program. |
| 90 | In the case of new construction, extension, renovation, or |
| 91 | replacement of an educational facility, building maintenance |
| 92 | staff responsible for the facility must be trained, or must be |
| 93 | receiving training, in the appropriate areas of plant |
| 94 | operations, including, but not limited to, heating, ventilating, |
| 95 | and air-conditioning systems. Such training must be incorporated |
| 96 | in the current training manual for certification of master |
| 97 | custodians. |
| 98 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |