By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
Thanks to a new state law, the Burlington Area School District is making an official version of its indoor environmental policies.
At Monday night’s buildings and grounds committee meeting, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Gary Olsen presented an IEQ – Indoor Environmental Quality – management plan, which the state requires all school districts have in place by May 1.
Olsen said Monday that all the district was doing was making what it had been doing for years official.
“This is something we’ve been doing for a number of years,” Olsen said. “This plan kind of outlines it and puts it on paper.”
The new law also requires the district to keep records of complaints and remediations for seven years. School districts must also do an annual notification of various issues, such as notifying people of asbestos in buildings.
Olsen will serve as coordinator for the plan, with building officer duties given to Ray Fincutter (Cooper, Lyons and Winkler Elementary schools), Mike Wallace (Waller Elementary and Dyer Intermediate), Harvey Kandler (Karcher Middle School and the 209 Building), Craig Steffen (Burlington High School) and Olsen at the district office.
One of the main points of the plan encourages reporting any and all IEQ concerns. Olsen said some of those concerns include any kinds of mold – sometimes a result of food left behind in drawers or classrooms – as well as keeping the air filter units in each classroom clear so they can function.
The district will develop, as needed, policies for no smoking (covered by Wisconsin Statute 101.123 2(a), animals and food in classrooms, painting policies (which the district already does during non-school hours to keep students away from the paint), hazardous material, asbestos management, lead, radon gas and anti-idling (which Olsen said the district already has in place at various buildings to keep fumes from getting in through windows).
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