The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and its regulations require public school districts to inspect their schools for asbestos-containing building materials, prepare management plans, and take action to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards. The Annual AHERA Notification to parents and staff (see below) describes the District's asbestos program, locations of AHERA Management Plans, and schools where asbestos work has been performed. The District has a trained asbestos removal team that handles emergencies and small jobs; other asbestos work is contracted to certified asbestos abatement companies.  

More information about asbestos can be found on the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Notifications related to asbestos removal projects are posted in this portion of the website.

December 30, 2022

In accordance with federal regulations regarding asbestos in schools, a certified inspection of the Iowa City Community School District was conducted in October 1988. All asbestos found in the district has been identified as to the type, amount, and location. This information and recommended response action is contained in the district's AHERA Management Plan which is available for review in each building and the Facilities Management office.

A requirement of the federal regulations is to inform district employees and building occupants or their legal guardians once each year as to the inspection, the response action taken, re-inspections, and surveillance  activities that are planned or in progress. Certified re-inspections are required every three years, and all schools were re-inspected in 2022. Six-month surveillance was completed for all schools in January and July as required.

The Iowa City Community School District has an asbestos removal team that has been trained and certified by an Environmental Protection Agency accredited program. This district team has been equipped to  perform emergency response action to remove asbestos material should it become damaged. Building custodians and Physical Plant staff have completed a 2 hour awareness training session outlining what action to take in the event of an asbestos accident.

Abatement work has been performed this year at the City High Annex and South East Junior High School, among others. Further abatement will be done as necessary. All work is performed by state-certified workers and complies with AHERA regulations.

The district is aware of the health hazards of asbestos and is taking all measures to comply with federal regulations.