ACCEL Charter Schools

On June 13, 2024, EPA issued a notice of violation under the Toxic Substances Control Act to ACCEL Schools Ohio LLC for asbestos and lead paint concerns at three of its public charter schools in Ohio:

• Youngstown Academy of Excellence 
  1408 Rigby St., Youngstown, Ohio.
• Niles Preparatory Academy 
  45 Chestnut Ave., Niles, Ohio.
• STEAM Academy of Warren 
  261 Elm Road, Warren, Ohio. 

ACCEL Schools is a charter network operating 77 in-person schools, most of which are in Ohio. 

Invoking the Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA has subpoenaed ACCEL for records regarding Asbestos Hazard Emergency Act, or AHERA, compliance and lead-based paint renovations in all its schools located in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. AHERA requires public school districts, charter schools and schools affiliated with religious institutions to inspect their schools for asbestos, prepare management plans and take action to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards. AHERA also requires schools to notify parents about potential hazards inside the buildings.

As of Sept. 17, 2024, ACCEL has completed all asbestos and lead-based paint remediation work required by the administrative order on consent to address the hazards identified by ACCEL’s contractors at Youngstown Academy of Excellence, STEAM Academy of Warren, and Niles Preparatory Academy. ACCEL has provided EPA with clearance sampling results that indicate that the areas identified to contain asbestos and lead-based paint hazards have been mitigated. ACCEL remains subject to ongoing inspection and monitoring requirements under the order and in accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act and its regulations. Requests for reports generated under the order can be directed to ACCEL via Pansophic Learning (compliance@pansophiclearning.com) or submitted through EPA’s FOIA portal.

On this page: 

• Health Resources
• Regulatory Information
• Frequent Questions
• Administrative Order on Consent
• Related Documents

Health Resources

Blood lead testing can accurately measure children’s exposure to lead, including lead paint. EPA is working with state and local health officials to establish resources for impacted families. Concerned parents and guardians can contact their pediatrician or primary health care provider for information on blood lead testing.

• For more information on asbestos (pdf) or lead-based paint exposures (PDF), visit the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website. 
• For information on lead regulation, exposure or potential effects, contact the National Lead Information Center Hotline. 
• For more information on asbestos and school buildings, visit EPA’s website.
• For more information on healthy school environments, visit EPA’s website or review this information pamphlet. 
• For EPA’s guide to protecting families from lead in homes (pdf) or lead safe renovations(pdf), visit EPA’s website. 

Regulatory Information 

• For information on asbestos regulation, visit EPA’s website.
• For information on lead renovation, repair and painting rules, visit EPA’s website.

Frequent Questions

• Questions and Answers on ACCEL Charter Schools Notice of Violation

 Administrative Order on Consent

On June 28, EPA announced an agreement with ACCEL to address the lead paint concerns and asbestos at its three schools in Youngstown, Niles and Warren in Ohio. Under EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to address conditions which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment, the order requires ACCEL to take the following actions:

• Restrict access to the school buildings. Certain areas of the buildings can begin to open once testing confirms the area is free of asbestos and lead paint hazards.
• Notify parents of the concerns.
• Fully assess and abate asbestos and lead-based paint hazards. 

The order sets timelines to ensure that any needed inspection, abatement, and clearance work is completed prior to allowing students, faculty, or staff to enter affected areas of the school buildings, with the goal of having this work completed by the start of the 2024/25 school year. It also requires ACCEL to continue reporting to EPA regarding asbestos and lead-based paint conditions at the three schools for five years after completion of the work required under the order. 

Blood lead testing can accurately measure children’s exposure to lead, including lead paint. EPA is working with state and local health officials to establish resources for affected families.

RCRA Section 7003 Administrative Order on Consent (pdf) (1.99 MB, June 28, 2024)

For more information, see our press release.

Related Documents

Notice of Violations

• Notice of Potential Violation(s) Warning Letter (pdf) (2.5 MB, June 13, 2024)

Administrative Record

1. Prior Notification of Asbestos Hazard Abatement Project for Youngtown Catholic Diocese (regarding STEAM Academy of Warren building), Ohio Department of Health (pdf) (237.1 KB, June 10, 1991)
2. Prior Notification of Asbestos Hazard Abatement Project for Youngstown Board of Education, Ohio Department of Health 1994 (pdf) (237.94 KB, August 19, 1994)
3. Prior Notification of Asbestos Hazard Abatement Project for Youngstown Academy of Excellence, Ohio Department of Health (pdf) (243.27 KB, August 15, 2016)
4. Notification of Demolition and Renovation Summary Report for Youngstown Academy of Excellence, OH EPA (pdf) (110.11 KB, January 5, 2017)
5. Registration of Foreign For-Profit LLC for ACCEL Schools LLC, Ohio Secretary of State (pdf) (90.13 KB, June 17, 2020)
6. Youngstown Academy of Excellence Referral, Ohio EPA (pdf) (1.14 MB, March 11, 2024)
7. Niles Preparatory Academy Beacon Property Report, Trumbull County, OH (pdf) (1.1 MB, March 27, 2024)
8. STEAM Academy of Warren Property Record Card, Trumbull County, Ohio (pdf) (89.5 KB, March 27, 2024)
9. Youngstown Academy Property Report, OH MAHONING AUDITOR (pdf) (167.3 KB, March 27, 2024)
10. Email chain RE_ U.S. EPA_ ACCEL Charter School AHERA and Lead-Based Paint Inspections Follow-up, EPA and ACCEL (pdf) (533.85 KB, April 5, 2024 – May 10, 2024)
11. Youngstown AHERA Inspection Report, North American Environmental Services, LLC (pdf) (6.59 MB, April 19, 2024)
12. Combined Inspection Report - Youngstown Academy of Excellence, STEAM Academy of Warren, Niles Preparatory Academy (pdf) (636.6 KB, June 12, 2024)
13. Niles Preparatory Academy IR Attachment A Notice of Inspection and Sign In, EPA (pdf) (2.05 MB, April 4, 2024)
14. Niles Preparatory Academy IR Attachment B TSCA Inspection Confidentiality Notice, EPA (pdf) (264.41 KB, April 4, 2024)
15. Niles Preparatory Academy IR Attachment C Inspection Photos, EPA (pdf) (4.65 MB, June 12, 2024)
16. Niles Preparatory Academy IR Attachment D Inspection Forms CBI, EPA (pdf) (1.86 MB, April 4, 2024)
17. Niles Preparatory Academy IR Attachment E Receipt for Samples & Documents, EPA (pdf) (176.76 KB, April 4, 2024)
18. STEAM Academy of Warren IR STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 1 Sign in Sheet, EPA (pdf) (125.09 KB, April 4, 2024)
19. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 2 Notice of Inspection, EPA (pdf) (176.28 KB, April 4, 2024)
20. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 3 TSCA Inspection Confidentiality Notice, EPA (pdf) (267.65 KB, April 4, 2024)
21. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 4 Notice for TSCA Inspections, EPA (pdf) (5.47 MB, April 4, 2024)
22. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 5 Inspection Photos, EPA (pdf) (9.04 MB, June 12, 2024)
23. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 6 Inspection Photo Log, EPA (pdf) (2.38 MB, April 4, 2024)
24. STEAM Academy of Warren IR Attachment 7 Receipt for Samples & Documents, EPA (pdf) (164.94 KB, April 4, 2024)
25. Youngstown Academy of Excellence IR Attachment A_Inspection Forms, EPA (pdf) (1.51 MB, April 2, 2024)
26. Youngstown Academy of Excellence IR Attachment B_Photo Log (pdf) (7.05 MB, June 12, 2024)
27. Youngstown Academy of Excellence IR Attachment C_Post Inspection (pdf) (8.86 MB)
28. Youngstown Academy of Excellence IR Attachment D_OEPA Referral (pdf) (1.46 MB, March 11, 2024)
29. Youngstown Academy of Excellence IR Attachment_A_Referral (pdf) (1.14 MB)
30. Letter Re: ACCEL Ongoing Health Hazards and Summer Programming (pdf) (140.05 KB, June 17, 2024)
31. Niles Preparatory Academy AHERA Inspection Report, North American Environmental Services, LLC (pdf) (4.13 MB, June 20, 2024)
32. STEAM Academy of Warren AHERA Inspection Report, North American Environmental Services, LLC (pdf) (3.51 MB, June 20, 2024)