Click on one of the links below to go directly to a specific topic:
| Overview
DTSC's School Property Evaluation and Cleanup Division is responsible for assessing, investigating and cleaning up proposed school sites. The Division ensures that selected properties are free of contamination or, if the properties were previously contaminated, that they have been cleaned up to a level that protects the students and staff who will occupy the new school. All proposed school sites that will receive State funding for acquisition or construction are required to go through a rigorous environmental review and cleanup process under DTSC's oversight. School districts conduct environmental assessments to provide basic information for determining if there has been a release of hazardous material at the sites, or if a naturally occurring hazardous material that presents a risk to human health or the environment may be present. Outreach activities integrated into the process allow a more active role for stakeholders in the selection process for school sites. Through the environmental review process, DTSC ensures protection of children, staff and the environment from the potential effects of exposure to hazardous materials. As the only comprehensive school environmental evaluation program in the United States, the DTSC School Property Evaluation and Cleanup Division continues to set the national standard.
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| Mission
“To assist school districts in the assessment of school properties by ensuring that environmental conditions are expeditiously investigated, evaluated, and if necessary, remediated in order to protect public health and the environment.” Values The things that matter most in our organization are: - Ensuring sites are safe for schools
- Providing high quality services
- Information and responding to stakeholders
- Making decisions that reflect competence, practicality and consistency
- Striving for cost- and time-efficient operations
- Developing innovative approaches and guidance to address environmental issues
Principles We recognize that all our actions must be guided by a set of principles: - Protection: Our responsibility is to promote and protect public health and the environment.
- Service: We serve the public as a whole, our customers who seek a product or service from us, and future generations whose interests are affected by today's actions.
- Teamwork: Our decisions are jointly made by trained multidisciplinary staff so as to ensure balance, competence and professionalism.
- Integrity: We must continually earn the trust of those we serve, making an active commitment to truth, accuracy and fairness.
- Excellence: We are committed to career development and professional growth for our valued staff; we strive to provide high-quality services, and to achieve a standard of excellence in job performance.
- Ownership: We accept responsibility for ensuring an effective investigation and cleanup, and are accountable for project outcomes.
School Projects or Environmental Review Process DTSC is available to address any questions or problems that may arise during the environmental review process. Please contact the DTSC project manager with your concerns. If you do not know the assigned project manager or the project manager is unable to satisfactorily answer your questions, please contact: Mark Malinowski
Acting Schools Team Leader/Performance Manager
Brownfields and Environmental Restoration Program
Department of Toxic Substances Control
8800 Cal Center Drive
Sacramento, California 95826
(916) 255-3717
mmalinowski@dtsc.ca.gov
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| Schools Team Contacts
Michele Foster
Phase I and Agreement Coordinator
Brownfields and Environmental Restoration Program Department of Toxic Substances Control
9211 Oakdale Avenue
Chatsworth, California 91311
(818) 717-6611
mfoster@dtsc.ca.gov Cypress Office
Tawfiq Deek, Chief
Schools Unit - Cypress Office
Brownfields & Environmental Restoration Program
5796 Corporate Avenue
Cypress, California 90630
(714) 484-5305
tdeek@dtsc.ca.gov Shahir Haddad, Chief
Schools Unit - Cypress Office
Brownfields and Environmental Restoration Program
5796 Corporate Avenue
Cypress, California 90630
(714) 484-5368
shaddad@dtsc.ca.gov Chatsworth Office
Javier Hinojosa, Chief
Schools Unit - Chatsworth Office
Brownfields & Environmental Restoration Program
9211 Oakdale Avenue
Chatsworth, California 91311
(818) 717-6612
jhinojosa@dtsc.ca.gov Sacramento Office
Mark Malinowski, Chief
Schools Unit - Sacramento Office
Brownfields & Environmental Restoration Program
8800 Cal Center Drive
Sacramento, California 95826
(916) 255-3717
mmalinowski@dtsc.ca.gov
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| Three-Step Process
The Three-Step Process includes a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Preliminary Environmental Assessment and Response Action.
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| School Projects: Public Notices and Fact Sheets
Our school sites project documents list includes web-available information on selected DTSC schools sites. If you can't find the site you're looking for, call our Regulatory Assistance Officers at 800-728-6942 (800-72TOXIC). They can direct you to a Public Participation Specialist or suggest where you might find more information.
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| Fact Sheets and General Information
Application:
Schools Video 7:35 minutes
- February 2007
Fact Sheet:
School Site Cleanups
- December 2004
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| Success Stories
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| Advisories and Guidance
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| Forms
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| Statutes, Regulations, and Policies
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| Frequently Asked Questions
Check out the frequently asked questions for more information on Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Preliminary Environmental Assessment, Response Action, Applications and Agreements, Consultant Qualifications and Selection, and Fees and Payment.
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| Registered Environmental Assessor Program
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| Environmental Education
Integrating the environment and education in the classroom through real-world experiences can improve students' academic performance, self-esteem and appreciation for the environment. Lessons, workbooks and hands-on activities, which focus on teaching children to be good stewards of the environment, are available on our education Web page.
| Healthy School Environmental Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) The U.S. EPA has developed a comprehensive free software tool to help school districts conduct self-assessments of their school facilities to identify deficiencies and track facility improvements. Based on a program originally developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the EPA software for the first time allows school facility and risk managers to address all of their environmental, health, and safety issues using one user-friendly tool. HealthySEAT is designed to be completely customizable to reflect state and district policies, programs, and priorities. For more information on HealthySEAT and other school environmental health issues, visit: http://epa.gov/schools California HealthySeat in Development
Several California agencies are working together to incorporate California-specific information -- including the Williams Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) -- into HealthySEAT to make it easier for California school districts to customize and begin using HealthySEAT in their own districts. The California version of HealthySEAT will be available Spring 2008. |
