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How to Navigate the Guidelines

The School Siting Guidelines have been designed as a PDF with a website component to allow for access to many school siting related resources.

This page is intended to help different audiences find the information they are looking for faster. Below are suggestions for:

• Parents, teachers and the public
• Local education agency (LEA) officials and school siting committee (SSC) members
• States
• Tribes

Parents, Teachers, and the Public

1. Read more about the guidelines.
2. The Frequent Questions page provides answers to many of the most common questions, such as:
   • Do the guidelines apply retroactively to previous siting decisions?
   • Isn't an uncontaminated site always the best location for a new school?
   • What cleanup or remediation of contamination at a school site should be completed before the school is occupied?
   • Shouldn't schools be built as far away from major pollution-generating sources as possible?
   • What can I do to protect my child right now from environmental hazards at their current school?
3. Read the About the Guidelines page on the website, which gives an overview of the guidelines and information about some of the considerations that go into establishing school siting criteria locally and the key stages of environmental review.
4. Review the Meaningful Public Involvement section, which includes a chart of key Public Engagement Points and Strategies when public input will be particularly important.
   • View and print the Meaningful Public Involvement (PDF) (14 pp,358K, About PDF) section
   • View and print the guidelines
5. Click on the Resources page to find additional information on the kinds of issues often encountered during the siting process.

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LEA Officials (including facility planners, environmental professionals and others with decision-making responsibility for school site evaluation and selection) and SSC Members

1. Use the guidelines to follow and understand EPA's recommendations for considering environmental factors in school siting decisions.
   • Read more about the guidelines
   • View and print the guidelines
2. Use the Resources page of the website to find additional information on the kinds of issues often encountered during the siting process.
3. Review the Frequent Questions and Public Involvement in Developing the Guidelines pages to get an overview of how EPA is addressing many of the key issues in the guidelines.

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State Officials and Staff

1. Read more about the guidelines.
2. Read the Recommendations for States section of the guidelines.
   • View and print the Recommendations for State and Tribes (PDF) (12 pp, 270K, About PDF) section
   • View and print the guidelines
3. Review the Frequent Questions page to get an overview of how EPA is addressing many of the key issues, including this one:
   • The guidelines place a lot of emphasis on state and tribal involvement in evaluating and approving siting decisions where environmental contamination is present. At a time of shrinking state and tribal budgets, how are states and tribes to meet the anticipated demand for more involvement?
4. Click on the Resources page to find additional information on the kinds of issues often encountered during the siting process.

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Tribal Officials and Staff

1. Read more about the guidelines.
2. Read the Recommendations for Tribes section of the guidelines.
   • View and print the Recommendations for State and Tribes (PDF) (12 pp, 270K, About PDF) section
   • View and print the guidelines
3. Review the Frequent Questions page to get an overview of how EPA is addressing many of the key issues, including this one:
   • The draft guidelines place a lot of emphasis on state and tribal involvement in evaluating and approving siting decisions where environmental contamination is present. At a time of shrinking state and tribal budgets, how are states and tribes to meet the anticipated demand for more involvement?
4. Click on the Resources page to find additional information on the kinds of issues often encountered during the siting process.

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• School Siting Guidelines Home Page
• Basic Information
• How to Navigate the Guidelines
• Frequent Questions
• Related Resources
• Glossary
• View and Print the Guidelines