Outline of the state of Minnesota
State
Minnesota
Encouraged

Category
Air Quality

Category
Air Quality

State law encourages districts to address air quality issues in schools.

Health, Safety and Environmental Management Possible Hazards

Document addresses indoor air quality plans or policies or includes direct mandates for routine inspection and evaluation of indoor air quality in schools.

Policy Type
Non-codified

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Schools

Site addresses indoor air quality plans or policies or includes direct mandates for routine inspection and evaluation of indoor air quality in schools.

Policy Type
Non-codified

Minnesota Statutes 123B. 571 Radon testing

Subdivision 1. Voluntary plan. The commissioners of health and education may jointly develop a plan to encourage school districts to accurately and efficiently test for the presence of radon in public school buildings serving students in kindergarten through grade 12. To the extent possible, the commissioners shall base the plan on the Standard established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Subd. 2. Radon testing. A school district may include radon testing as a part of its ten-year facility plan under section 123B.595, subdivision 4. If a school district receives authority to use long-term facilities maintenance revenue to conduct radon testing, the district shall conduct the testing according to the radon testing plan developed by the commissioners of health and education.

Subd. 3. Reporting.A school district that has tested its school buildings for the presence of radon shall report the results of its tests to the Department of Health in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner of health. A school district that has tested for the presence of radon shall also report the results of its testing at a school board meeting.

Policy Type
Statute

Minnesota Statutes 123B.57 Health and Safety Projects

Subd. 6. Health and safety capital projects.

  • (a) Health and safety capital projects may include expenditures necessary for the correction of fire and life safety hazards; design, purchase, installation, maintenance, and inspection of fire protection and alarm equipment; purchase or construction of appropriate facilities for the storage of combustible and flammable materials; inventories and facility modifications not related to a remodeling project to comply with lab safety requirements under section 121A.31; inspection, testing, repair, removal or encapsulation, and disposal of asbestos-containing building materials; cleanup and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls; cleanup and disposal of hazardous and infectious wastes; cleanup, removal, disposal, and repairs related to storing heating fuel or transportation fuels such as alcohol, gasoline, fuel oil, and special fuel, as defined in section 296A.01; correction of occupational safety and health administration regulated hazards; indoor air quality inspections, investigations, and testing; mold abatement; upgrades or replacement of mechanical ventilation systems to meet American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers Standard and State Mechanical Code; design, materials, and installation of local exhaust ventilation systems, including required make-up air for controlling regulated hazardous substances; correction of Department of Health Food Code violations; correction of swimming pool hazards excluding depth correction; playground safety inspections, repair of unsafe outdoor playground equipment, and the installation of impact surfacing materials; bleacher repair or rebuilding to comply with the order of a building code inspector under section 326B.112; testing and mitigation of elevated radon hazards; lead testing; copper in water testing; cleanup after major weather-related disasters or flooding; reduction of excessive organic and inorganic levels in wells and capping of abandoned wells; installation and testing of boiler backflow valves to prevent contamination of potable water; vaccinations, titers, and preventative supplies for bloodborne pathogen compliance; costs to comply with the Janet B. Johnson Parents” Right to Know Act; automated external defibrillators and other emergency plan equipment and supplies specific to the district’s emergency action plan; compliance with the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for school generators established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency; and health, safety, and environmental management costs associated with implementing the district’s health and safety program including costs to establish and operate safety committees, in school buildings or property owned or being acquired by the district. Testing and calibration activities are permitted for existing mechanical ventilation systems at intervals no less than every five years.
Policy Type
Statute

Minnesota Statutes 123B.595 Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue

Subd. 2. Long-term facilities maintenance revenue for a charter school. (a) For fiscal year 2017 only, long-term facilities maintenance revenue for a charter school equals $34 times the adjusted pupil units.

(b) For fiscal year 2018 only, long-term facilities maintenance revenue for a charter school equals $85 times the adjusted pupil units.

(c) For fiscal year 2019 and later, long-term facilities maintenance revenue for a charter school equals $132 times the adjusted pupil units.

Subd. 3. Intermediate districts and other cooperative units. — Upon approval through the adoption of a resolution by each member district school board of an intermediate district or other cooperative units under section 123A.24, subdivision 2, and the approval of the commissioner of education, a school district may include in its authority under this section a proportionate share of the long-term maintenance costs of the intermediate district or cooperative unit. The cooperative unit may issue bonds to finance the project costs or levy for the costs, using long-term maintenance revenue transferred from member districts to make debt service payments or pay project costs. Authority under this subdivision is in addition to the authority for individual district projects under subdivision 1.

Subd. 4. Facilities plans. (a) To qualify for revenue under this section, a school district or intermediate district, not including a charter school, must have a ten-year facility plan adopted by the school board and approved by the commissioner. The plan must include provisions for implementing a health and safety program that complies with health, safety, and environmental regulations and best practices, including indoor air quality management and remediation of lead hazards.

Policy Type
Statute

Minnesota Statutes 123B.72 School Facility Commissioning

Subdivision 1. Application. — This section applies to the installation or retrofitting of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems for projects where the total project cost per site exceeds $ 1,400,000.

Subd. 2. System inspector. — For purposes of this section, system inspector means:

(1) a Minnesota-licensed architect or engineer; or

(2) properly qualified testing and balancing agency or individual.

Subd. 3. Certification. — Prior to occupying or reoccupying a school facility affected by this section, a school board or its designee shall submit a document prepared by a system inspector to the building official or to the commissioner, verifying that the facility’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system has been installed and operates according to design specifications and code, according to section 123B.71, subdivision 9, clause (6), item (iii). A systems inspector shall also verify that the facility’s design will provide the ability for monitoring of outdoor airflow and total airflow of ventilation systems in new school facilities and that any heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system that is installed or modified for a project subject to this section must provide a filtration system with a current ASHRAE standard.

Subd. 4. Occupancy. — If the document submitted by the school board to the local building official or the commissioner does not demonstrate to that official’s satisfaction that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system has been installed correctly or that the system is not operating at a level to meet design specifications, the official or commissioner may allow up to one year of occupancy while the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is improved to a level that is considered satisfactory by the system inspector.

Policy Type
Statute