Transcript for: “Physical Location and Facility Inspections” video. Slide 2 All private schools are required to meet certain standards of sanitation and safety, and all educational facilities are required to have fire safety inspections. These standards are not enforced by the Department of Education, but by other local and state agencies. However, to participate in scholarship programs, a private school must provide evidence that its facility meets all health and safety standards. Slide 3 Private schools must meet the building safety requirements of their municipality, county, or other jurisdiction. One requirement of businesses operating as private schools is a fire safety inspection. Slide 4 Standards and guidelines for inspections in all counties are established by the State Fire Marshal, but there is no single statewide inspection report form. To participate in state scholarship programs, a school must submit a current and acceptable Fire Code Inspection Form to our office each year. Slide 5 To schedule an inspection, contact your local fire department. A fire inspection must be conducted for every private school each year. A report by a fire alarm, fire extinguisher, or fire suppression system company will not meet the requirement. Don’t run the risk of missing the compliance renewal deadline by waiting too late to schedule your inspection. There may be too many private schools in your area for your local fire department to inspect in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Slide 6 Before you submit the inspection report form to our office, check the address listed on the form to make sure it matches the one on file with our office. Make sure your private school’s name is on the inspection. If your school is housed in a church, for example, the inspection must be in the name of the school, not the church. The inspection should indicate that it is for an educational facility, not a business, a church, or a day care facility. It should be marked “Satisfactory” or “Violation Free,” and be signed by the inspector. Slide 7 As a business involved in group care, Florida private schools are required to be periodically inspected by Florida’s Department of Health. Every school facility is required to get a satisfactory health inspection from the local county health department prior to opening or operating in Florida. Slide 8 To participate in state scholarship programs, private schools must have on file with our office a current, satisfactory Department of Health Private School Inspection Report. Private schools that store, prepare, or serve food to students must possess a current and satisfactory Food Service Inspection Report. If your school has a well, an additional inspection may be required. Slide 9 Most counties conduct health inspections at least annually, and food service inspections are conducted more frequently. Contact your county’s Department of Health to schedule an inspection well in advance of compliance deadlines. Don’t run the risk of missing the compliance renewal deadline by waiting too late to schedule your inspection. Slide 10 To recap: Only “Satisfactory” inspections will meet the requirement, and the form should be marked “private school.” Make sure your school’s name is on the inspection. If your school is leasing space from another business, for example, the inspection must be in the name of the school, not the landlord. Also, check the address listed on the form to make sure it matches the one on file with our office. Finally, the report must be signed by the inspector and by the private school contact. Slide 11 Florida Statute requires private schools in most counties to test and report radon levels in their facilities. The list of counties exempt from the radon reporting requirement can be found on our website. If your county is NOT listed, then your school must test and report. Slide 12 Two radon tests are required of most private school facilities, the first test upon occupancy, and a second test five years after the initial testing. Slide 13 Check with your local Department of Health or the DOH website (http://www.floridahealth.gov/healthy-environments/radon/private-school.html) for more information on radon testing requirements in your county. Slide 14 For most schools, the two best options for completing the radon testing requirement are to a) Hire an independent business specializing in environmental testing, OR b) Purchase a radon testing kit from a local home improvement store, and conduct the test following the instructions provided in the kit. Allow for a three-day testing process, and 1-2 weeks to receive the testing results. Slide 15 Whoever completes the test, the results must be recorded on Department of Health form DH 1777 and submitted to your local Department of Health. Include the test results along with the form in your compliance package to our office. Slide 16 To avoid delays in the compliance approval process, make sure that the address of your facility in Section 1 matches the address you have reported to us, and that Section 5 is completed. Slide 17 Occasionally, private schools need to change location to a larger space, or one more convenient for families. Slide 18 For participating private schools, statute requires that any change in the school’s mailing address or physical location must be conveyed to the department within 15 days. Use the Update Notification Form available on our website to inform us of a move or change in mailing address. Slide 19 Even though statute provides 15 days to inform us of a change in address, statute does not allow for any private school to operate in a location that has not met health and safety laws. Be sure to have all applicable inspections completed before transferring students to a new location. Scholarship payments may be immediately suspended to a school held in a location that has not been proven to meet safety standards, and scholarship eligibility may be threatened if a school fails to inform the department of a change in location. Slide 20 For more information on this topic, contact our office at (800) 447-1636 or email us at schoolchoice@fldoe.org.