With all of the financial and personnel challenges facing school districts today, it is easy to forget the many environmental regulations that are still in full effect, perhaps none more important than the Environmental Protections Agency’s EPA’s asbestos regulation, Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).
The AHERA rule, in effect since 1988, lays down a multitude of stringent asbestos requirements on educational buildings, including the official appointment of an Asbestos Designated Person for each School District in the United States.
Due to the attrition of many facility directors and supervisors in Michigan over the past several decades, there are a number of districts that have not replaced or reappointed an Asbestos Designated Person for their facilities.
Without an Asbestos Designated Person, school districts have no one familiar with the asbestos regulations and, therefore leave themselves prone to potential regulatory violations and acute public relation problems.
According to the AHERA regulation, each school district must have an Asbestos Designated Person. This individual must sign the asbestos management plans and fulfill the following duties on behalf of the district:
- Ensure asbestos-related activities are performed by trained and accredited persons.
- Ensure that all custodial and maintenance personnel are properly trained.
- Ensure outside contractors are notified of the presence, quantity and locations of asbestos in buildings that they’ll be entering.
- Ensure that the community is notified annually of the status of asbestos activities.
- Ensure that warning labels in routine maintenance areas are properly posted.
- Ensure that management plans are available to review by members of the public.
Asbestos Designated Persons are expected to ensure that all asbestos activities, including abatement, periodic surveillances and re-inspections are scheduled and performed properly. It is required by AHERA that the Asbestos Designated Persons be properly trained. MSBO has been providing this training, since the inception of the AHERA regulation.
What should school districts do? Check to see if you have a Designated Person. If not, appoint someone to become designated.
If you have questions or need clarification, contact Kary Amin of Nova Environmental, Inc at (734) 930-0995. He has been providing the Designated Person Training Program for the MSBO for over 30 years and will be able to help you determine if you have an official Designated Person for your district and, if not, provide advice on who should be the Designated Person for your district.
AHERA Designated Person Training Program.
Pricing: $105 Members/$110 nonmember
- March 26, 2026 • Register online
- May 28, 2026 • Register online