If your child attends an older school, it is reasonable to wonder whether the building contains asbestos — and you have a legal right to find out. A federal law called AHERA gives parents access to their school’s asbestos records.

AHERA: Your Right to Know

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) of 1986 requires every public school district and non-profit private school (K-12) to:

  • Inspect its buildings for asbestos-containing materials
  • Prepare and maintain an Asbestos Management Plan for each school
  • Re-inspect every three years and conduct periodic surveillance
  • Notify parents, teachers, and staff of asbestos activities
  • Make the management plan available for review on request

How to Find Out If Your Child’s School Has Asbestos

  1. Ask for the AHERA Asbestos Management Plan. Contact the school or district office and request to review it — they are legally required to make it available. Every district has a “designated person” responsible for the plan.
  2. Read what it says. The plan identifies where asbestos-containing materials are located in the building, their condition, and how the school is managing them.
  3. Ask about condition and monitoring. Intact, well-managed asbestos is generally low-risk; the concern is damaged or deteriorating material and disturbance during repairs.
  4. Ask about planned renovations. Renovation and demolition must follow asbestos-safe procedures.

Is Asbestos in a School Dangerous to Students?

Asbestos that is intact and undisturbed generally does not pose an immediate hazard. The risk comes when material is damaged, deteriorating, or disturbed and releases fiber into the air. AHERA exists precisely to ensure schools identify and manage these materials rather than ignore them.

If Asbestos Was Disturbed

If asbestos-containing material in a school was damaged or disturbed and people were exposed — students, teachers, or staff — that is a serious issue. Because asbestos disease takes decades to appear, exposures today matter for the long term, and past exposures are surfacing now in former students and school employees.

If you, or a family member who worked in or attended a school, were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos in a school building, you may be entitled to compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation.

This information is educational and does not constitute legal or medical advice.