Three Northeast Ohio charter schools are under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandate to conduct an analysis of materials suspected to contain lead and asbestos.
In an agreement between the EPA and ACCEL Charter Schools Ohio, the school system is required to conduct investigations at Youngstown Academy of Excellence, Niles Preparatory and STEAM Academy of Warren, said Julie Morris, manager of the EPA's Land Enforcement and Compliance Assurance branch.
“ACCEL must conduct those asbestos inspections and lead risk assessments at all three schools by July 5 to provide EPA with the reports for those inspections and the risk assessments within three days of receipt,” Morris said. “It also requires them to develop and submit an abatement plan for any of the hazards identified, during the inspections and risk assessments.”
ACCEL has not yet responded to requests for comment.
ACCEL has not yet completed and submitted its lead risk assessment to the EPA, but inspection reports completed by the North American Environmental Services determined 25 asbestos-containing materials at Youngstown Academy of Excellence, 10 at Niles Preparatory and 14 at STEAM Academy of Warren.
Once the plans are approved by the EPA, ACCEL must complete the abatement process by Aug. 9, Morris said, and conduct another round of sampling by Aug. 16. The three buildings will remain closed until work is completed.
“We also have additional requirements for... conducting visual inspections and full contractor inspections every six months and three years, as required by [Health and Environmental Risk Assessment],” Morris said. “They will be required to provide us information about the inspections that they have completed for the next five years.”
Exposure to asbestos can lead to difficulty breathing, heart enlargement and cancer when exposed to high levels, according to the EPA. Lead exposure threatens the nervous system, putting children at risk of decreased mental development, growth and, in cases of high exposure, brain damage.
Citizen complaint sparks investigation
In March, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency received a citizen complaint about concerns over material thought to be asbestos at Youngstown Academy of Excellence, Morris said.
The Ohio EPA called in an asbestos inspector and alerted the U.S. EPA of the complaint. In April, the U.S. EPA conducted its own inspection of the Youngstown school building, along with the Niles and Warren locations.
“We did not receive complaints about those,” Morris said. “This is just a matter of we had received the complaints about the one facility and wanted to confirm conditions at schools that were also in this school system.”
At Youngstown Academy of Excellence, suspected lead paint was found on the walls and ceilings in storage rooms and classrooms, Morris said. Separate storage rooms contained material thought to be asbestos.
Inspectors found suspected asbestos-containing material by the stage at Niles Preparatory, an area accessible to students and staff, along with a boiler room.
Suspected lead-based paint and asbestos were discovered in staff-accessible storage rooms at STEAM Academy of Warren, Morris said. Investigators found additional suspected lead-based paint in hallways adjacent to the school gym, which students had access to, and peeling near windows in a classroom being used by students and staff at the time.
“EPA is holding Accel accountable to protect students and staff from asbestos and lead exposure,” EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore said in a news release. “Children deserve healthy school environments where they can focus on learning. EPA will continue to work to reduce lead and asbestos hazards in Ohio and across the United States.”
The EPA issued a subpoena to obtain asbestos records at ACCEL charter schools throughout Ohio and Michigan, Morris said, to determine compliance with the agency’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) that mandates asbestos inspection and prevention at all public and nonprofit school systems.
ACCEL operates 92 schools across the country, including more than 70 in Ohio, according to its website. The schools serve more than 32,000 students nationwide and employ more than 3,000 teachers.
