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Arlington Public Schools Success Story
When Arlington
Public Schools (APS), Arlington County, Virginia
,
suspected that it might have a problem with chemical
management, it did not wait for an accident before
it sprang into action. Instead, APS took immediate
steps to protect over 8,000 students and 800 staff
from potential chemical exposures.
Arlington’s Chemical Management History
In the early 1990s, APS instituted safety training for science teachers and established procedures for the safe storage of chemicals and the removal of outdated, unlabeled, and excess chemicals from their science labs.
In the summer of 2005, APS reevaluated its procedures and implemented a new chemical management program. This change in policy was a result of Arlington’s discovery of outdated and unlabeled materials in a chemical storage room that had not been used for many years.
With the help of chemical management experts, Arlington conducted a comprehensive chemical management inventory of all of its secondary schools that revealed, in addition to educationally valuable chemicals, several common chemical management problems. Arlington found accumulations of outdated, excess and unknown chemicals, as well as chemicals that were stored in alphabetical order and in improper containers.
Chemical Management Solutions
Since the summer of 2005, APS has removed more than 600 pounds of chemicals from its secondary schools.
To ensure that similar chemical mismanagement problems would no longer pose a risk to students and staff, APS also implemented a sustainable chemical management program that includes:
- Coordination with a certified hazardous waste company;
- Identification and safe disposal of hazardous chemicals;
- Implementation of chemical hygiene plan;
- Teacher chemical safety training;
- Bi-annual chemical inventories;
- Dedicated staff time for chemical management;
- Responsible chemical storage; and
- Plans for comprehensive chemical management, including science, shop, art and facilities chemicals.
With funding provided by the School Board, APS selected one teacher within each of its secondary schools to be a Chemical Manager responsible for ensuring that chemical safety considerations were fully integrated into its teaching curriculum and facility practices. Chemical Managers were asked to dedicate several days per school year to accomplish these tasks.
In addition, APS conducts annual in-service teacher training on responsible chemical management. It also undertakes bi-annual chemical inspections in each of its secondary schools. APS’ policy is to encourage teachers and staff to use the smallest amounts of the least hazardous chemicals possible.
Critical Success Factors
Leadership by school staff, as well as strong and continued support from administration and facility personnel are critical to Arlington’s continued chemical management success.
APS and its administrative, teaching and facilities staff have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Education for successfully implementing a sustainable chemical management program that protects children and sets a positive example for other school districts to follow.
Arlington Superintendent Dr. Robert G. Smith said, “We appreciate the recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the good work initiated by members of our staff to ensure student safety. I want to recognize in particular the leadership and contributions to this initiative made by Dr. Mark Johnston, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Constance Skelton, Science Supervisor, and Maria Johnson, Instructional Lead Teacher and science teacher at Wakefield High School.”
No Recess for Chemicals at Arlington Public Schools (Resource Conservation Challenge Newsroom Story)