Outline of the state of Florida
State
Florida
Required

Category
Air Quality

Category
Air Quality

State law requires districts to address indoor air quality in schools.

Florida Statutes 1013.20. Standard for relocatables used as classroom space; inspections.

(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules establishing Standard for relocatables intended for long-term use as classroom space at a public elementary school, middle school, or high school. “Long-term use” means the use of relocatables at the same educational plant for a period of 4 years or more. Each relocatable acquired by a district school board after the effective date of the rules and intended for long-term use must comply with the Standard. District school boards shall submit a plan for the use of existing relocatables within the 5-year work program to be reviewed and approved by the commissioner by January 1, 2003. A progress report shall be provided by the commissioner to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate each January thereafter. Relocatables that fail to meet the Standard after completion of the approved plan may not be used as classrooms. The Standard shall protect the health, safety, and welfare of occupants by requiring compliance with the Florida Building Code or the State Requirements for Educational Facilities for existing relocatables, as applicable, to ensure the safety and stability of construction and onsite installation; fire and moisture protection; air quality and ventilation; appropriate wind resistance; and compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If appropriate and where relocatables are not scheduled for replacement, the Standard must also require relocatables to provide access to the same technologies available to similar classrooms within the main school facility and, if appropriate, and where relocatables are not scheduled for replacement, to be accessible by adequate covered walkways. A relocatable that is subject to this section and does not meet the Standard shall not be reported as providing satisfactory student stations in the Florida Inventory of School Houses.

(2) Annual inspections for all satisfactory relocatables designed for classroom use or being occupied by students are required for: foundations; tie-downs; structural integrity; weatherproofing; HVAC; electrical; plumbing, if applicable; firesafety; and accessibility. Reports shall be filed with the district school board and posted in each respective relocatable in order to facilitate corrective action.

Policy Type
Statute

Florida Statutes 381.006 Environmental health.

(16) ...Rules related to public and private schools shall be developed by the Department of Education in consultation with the department. Rules adopted under this subsection may include definitions of terms; provisions relating to operation and maintenance of facilities, buildings, grounds, equipment, furnishings, and occupant-space requirements; lighting; heating, cooling, and ventilation; food service; water supply and plumbing; sewage; sanitary facilities; insect and rodent control; garbage; safety; personnel health, hygiene, and work practices; and other matters the department finds are appropriate or necessary to protect the safety and health of the residents, staff, students, faculty, or patrons. The department may not adopt rules that conflict with rules adopted by the licensing or certifying agency. The department may enter and inspect at reasonable hours to determine compliance with applicable statutes or rules. In addition to any sanctions that the department may impose for violations of rules adopted under this section, the department shall also report such violations to any agency responsible for licensing or certifying the group care facility. The licensing or certifying agency may also impose any sanction based solely on the findings of the department.

Policy Type
Statute

Florida Statutes 404.056 Environmental radiation Standard and projects; certification of persons performing measurement or mitigation services; mandatory testing; notification on real estate documents; rules.

(4) Mandatory testing. — All public and private school buildings or school sites housing students in kindergarten through grade 12; all state-owned, state-operated, state-regulated, or state-licensed 24-hour care facilities; and all state-licensed day care centers for children or minors which are located in counties designated within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Florida Radon Protection Map Categories as “Intermediate” or “Elevated Radon Potential” shall be measured to determine the level of indoor radon, using measurement procedures established by the department. Initial measurements shall be conducted in 20 percent of the habitable first floor spaces within any of the regulated buildings and shall be completed and reported to the department within 1 year after the date the building is opened for occupancy or within 1 year after license approval for the entity residing in the existing building. Followup testing must be completed in 5 percent of the habitable first floor spaces within any of the regulated buildings after the building has been occupied for 5 years, and results must be reported to the department by the first day of the 6th year of occupancy. After radon measurements have been made twice, regulated buildings need not undergo further testing unless significant structural changes occur. No funds collected pursuant to s. 553.721 shall be used to carry out the provisions of this subsection.

Policy Type
Statute