Chemical Cleanout of Schools

Proper management of hazardous chemicals found in K-12 schools, combined with various pollution prevention techniques can ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for students, teachers, and school staff and protect the surrounding environment.

NEWMOA initiated a "Chemical Cleanout in Schools" project at the request of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). After developing a workshop curriculum and Power Point presentation focused on mercury reduction for schools, and partnering with the Agency to deliver a series of half-day workshops to schools and education officials in New York State, NEWMOA developed new training materials targeted at all chemicals found in school science classrooms.

As part of this project, NEWMOA developed the following materials:

• Conducting a Full Chemical Cleanout (September 2007) - This Power Point presentation was conducted as part of a "train-the-trainer" program for New York State environmental officials and education representatives. The ultimate goal of the program is to teach school officials how to reduce and eliminate harmful chemicals, including mercury and mercury-containing equipment, found in science classrooms at K-12 schools.

Additional Information Resources:

• US EPA's School Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3 Toolkit)
  www.epa.gov/sc3/.
  


• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's (VT DEC) School Chemical and Mercury Cleanout Project
  www.mercvt.org/PDF/finalreport.pdf.
  


• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's (MassDEP) School Chemical Management Manual
  www.mass.gov/dep/service/schlchem.pdf.
  


• Utah Department of Environmental Quality's (UT DEQ) Clean Schools Toolkit
  www.deq.utah.gov/Schools/.

This project would not have been possible without support from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.