ANNUAL EPA AWARENESS INFORMATION

  • The 1986 Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires inspections of all CMS facilities for the type, quantity, and location of asbestos containing materials (ACM). ACM has been found in almost every facility constructed prior to 1989. Schools constructed from 1989 were directed to be built without asbestos containing materials; this has been specifically noted in school design standards since that time.

    Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and has been used in building materials for many years. Unless it is disturbed or damaged, it poses no health risk to building occupants.

    Management plans have been developed for all facilities regardless of ACM content. Depending upon the condition of, and potential for exposure to, asbestos containing material. The plan calls for repair; remediation; continued surveillance; and, if needed, removal of ACM. Many schools in which ACM had been identified have been remediated, renovated, or replaced.
    The plan for your child’s school is located in the front office and is available for review during school hours.

    Annual AHERA Notice

    This notice is to inform you, as required by the Federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), that the documentation for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Asbestos Management Plan; the semiannual surveillance inspections; and the three-year re-inspection are available for your review in the office of each CMS school. Information regarding response actions may also be found in the Asbestos Management Plan files located at the Operations facility. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

    Executive Director of Facilities Management 
    (980) 343-5156

    Manager of Environmental Health
    (980) 343-8632

    Integrated Pest Management

    As part of our on-going commitment to enhance the quality of our learning environments and support facilities, CMS practices Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on a district-wide basis as our choice for pest control. IPM is an ecologically based management strategy that provides long term solutions to pest problems with minimum impact on human health and the environment with a focus on prevention through good sanitation and mechanical means such as pest-proofing buildings.

    Notification of Pesticide Use

    CMS may use pesticides to control pests at your child’s school or other sites in the district. Under State law, you have the right to be notified annually of when CMS plans to apply pesticides in your school or facility and to request advance notice of pesticides used outside that schedule. Such notification must be given at least 72 hours in advance of a nonscheduled application of a non-exempt pesticide or as soon as possible after an emergency application (within 72 hours).

    Exemptions: Certain relatively low-risk pesticides are exempted from these notification requirements, including antimicrobial cleaners, disinfectants, self-contained baits and crack-and-crevice treatments, and any pesticide products classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as belonging to the US EPA’s Toxicity Class IV, “relatively nontoxic”. Your right to be notified extends to all non-exempt pesticide applications at your school or other non-school site (office building, garage, workshop, etc.) both indoor and outdoor pesticide applications and including applications that take place over summer recess, holidays, weekends, or after school hours.

    To request Advance Notification of Pesticide applications please visit your school or site’s IPM contact

    Environmental Stewardship Policy

    The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education believes that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools must be an effective steward of our natural resources. Through policy, CMS has committed that the district will continuously strengthen its efforts to and conserve our air, water and land resources; minimize or mitigate our impacts on the environment; and promote environmentally sound behavior. An annual report on these stewardship activities is provided to The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.