                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS (§ 22.1-138)

A. The Board of Education shall prescribe by regulation minimum standards for
the erection of or addition to public school buildings governing instructional,
operational, health and maintenance facilities where these are not specifically
addressed in the Uniform Statewide Building Code (&#xA7; 36-97 et seq.).

B. By July 1, 1994, every school building in operation in the Commonwealth shall
be tested for radon pursuant to procedures established by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for radon measurements in schools.
			School buildings and additions opened for operation after July 1, 1994, shall
be tested for radon pursuant to such EPA procedures and regulations prescribed
by the Board of Education pursuant to subsection A. Each school shall maintain
files of its radon test results and make such files available for review. The
division superintendent shall report radon test results to the Department of
Health.

C. Each school board shall maintain a water management program for the
prevention of Legionnaires&#8217; disease at each public school building in the
local school division. Each school board shall validate each water management
program on at least an annual basis to maintain the health and decency of such
buildings. Each public school shall maintain files related to its water
management program, including the results of all validation and remediation
activities, and make such files available for review.

D. Each local school board shall develop and implement a plan to test and, if
necessary, a plan to remediate mold in public school buildings in accordance
with guidance issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Each local
school board shall (i) submit such testing plan and report the results of any
test performed in accordance with such plan to the Department of Health and (ii)
take all steps necessary to notify school staff and the parents of all enrolled
students if testing results indicate the presence of mold in a public school
building at or above the minimum level that raises a concern for the health of
building occupants, as determined by the Department of Health.

E. Each school board shall, in consultation with the local building official and
the state or local fire marshal, develop a procurement plan to ensure that all
security enhancements to public school buildings are in compliance with the
Uniform Statewide Building Code (&#xA7; 36-97 et seq.) and Statewide Fire
Prevention Code (&#xA7; 27-94 et seq.).

F. No school employee shall open or close an electronic room partition in any
school building unless (i) no student is present in such building, (ii) (a) no
student is present in the room or area in which such partition is located and
(b) such room or area is locked or otherwise inaccessible to students, or (iii)
such partition includes a safety sensor that automatically stops the partition
when a body passes between the leading edge and a wall, an opposing partition,
or the stacking area.
			Any annual safety review or exercise for school employees in a local school
division shall include information and demonstrations, as appropriate, regarding
the provisions of this subsection.
			The Department of Education shall make available to each school board model
safety guidance regarding the operation of electronic room partitions.

HISTORY: 1980, c. 559; 1993, c. 765; 2019, cc. 121, 369; 2020, cc. 776, 780.