Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (AHERA)

Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff:

As required by the Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (AHERA) that was signed into law in December of 1987, the Hackensack Public School System is required to annually update the staff and the public who utilize school facilities regarding changes to our asbestos management plans.

As a requirement of AHERA, an accredited management planner prepared an asbestos management plan for each school building within the district. These plans were submitted and approved by the New Jersey Department of Health on March 27, 1989. Initial inspections indicted that asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) were present in areas that were generally not accessible to students and faculty. The ACBM that are present in student and faculty areas are in very good condition and the potential health hazard is considered to be quite low. Inspection of all areas identified in the plans, whether ACBM or assumed, have been conducted every six months since July 1989 and will continue to be inspected every six months.

The asbestos management plans including the three-year-re-inspection reports and six-month inspections are available for review during normal office hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the main office at each school and at the Administration Building.