(a) By June 30, 2002, the state board and the State Department of Health Services, in consultation with the State Department of Education, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, shall conduct a comprehensive study and review of the environmental health conditions in portable classrooms, as defined in subdivision (k) of Section 17070.15 of the Education Code.
(b) The state board and the department shall jointly coordinate the study, oversee data analysis and quality assurance, coordinate stakeholder participation, and prepare recommendations. The state board shall develop and oversee the contract for field work, air monitoring, and data analysis, and obtain equipment for the study. The department shall oversee the assessment of ventilation systems and practices and the evaluation of microbiological contaminants, and may provide laboratory analyses as needed.
(c) By August 31, 2000, the state board shall release a request for proposals for the field portion of the study. Field work shall begin not later than July 2001. The final report shall be completed on or before June 30, 2002, and shall be provided to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature. The study of portable classrooms shall include all of the following:
(1) Review of design and construction specifications, including those for ventilation systems.
(2) Review of school maintenance practices, including the actual operation or nonoperation of ventilation systems.
(3) Assessment of indoor air quality.
(4) Assessment of potential toxic contamination, including molds and other biological contaminants.
(d) The final report shall summarize the results of the study and review, and shall include recommendations to remedy and prevent unhealthful conditions found in portable classrooms, including the need for all of the following:
(1) Modified design and construction standards, including ventilation specifications.
(2) Emission limits for building materials and classroom furnishings.
(3) Other mitigation actions to ensure the protection of children’s health.
(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 159, Sec. 131. Effective January 1, 2002.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018