Providing district leadership in the planning and coordination of risk management and environmental health and safety activities to keep students safe, employees healthy, and the school district fiscally strong.

The department manages all standards based on federal, state, and local laws and rules applicable to school facilities as well as guidelines established by the Minnesota Department of Education.  Responsibilities include regulatory compliance and the identification, analysis, control, financing, and administration of risks across all district operations.

Contact 

Michael Oxborough
Safety and Risk Manager
952-806-8764 
moxborough@isd271.org

The district conducts regularly scheduled Safety Committee meetings to discuss and communicate topics of importance. Each bargaining unit participates with joint labor-management representation. Meeting minutes are provided and distributed to each respective bargaining unit.

A red two-drawer file cabinet is located in each school’s health office to provide a centralized location for site-specific health and safety records for public and staff review.

• The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires districts notify parents annually concerning asbestos-containing building materials in schools. Every summer and during non-school days, the district on occasion removes asbestos from a number of facilities related to construction occurring at those sites.

• The Janet B. Johnson Parents’ Right to Know Act requires notification when application of herbicides/pesticides are used on school property. As a general rule, the district applies a granular fertilizer and spot treats broadleaf weed control at times when there is no scheduled use of an affected area. Please contact the main office at each school for application dates. Each facility is inspected monthly for pest control, and when required, the least harmful pesticide (Category IV) is used.

• The district maintains an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan that is based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Tools for Schools” model indoor air quality program designed specifically for schools. The plan’s goal is to promote an indoor environment that enhances learning for students as well as productivity for staff.

• All potable water sources in school buildings need to be tested every five years for the presence of lead. If levels exceed the recommended U.S. EPA action level of 20 parts per billion, the fixture is taken out of service until retesting results are obtained. If still elevated, the fixture is taken out of service or replaced. Test results are available for public review by visiting each building’s main office.

• Schools are required to test for the presence of radon once every five years. Rooms measuring more than the U.S. EPA action level of 4 pCi/L are retested with a continuous monitor to determine if radon is removed when rooms are occupied. Test results are available for public review by visiting each building’s main office.