Dear (Parent, Legal Guardian, Employee)

Asbestos has been an issue of concern for many years. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 (refer to as AHERA) was recently enacted by Congress.  AHERA was designed to determine the extent of asbestos concerns in the schools and to act as a guide in formulating asbestos management policies for the schools.

Asbestos has been used as a building material for many years. It is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined primarily in Canada and South Africa, and the C.I.S. The properties of asbestos make it an ideal material for insulating, sound absorption, decorative plasters, fireproofing, and a variety of miscellaneous uses. There have been over 3000 different products manufactured using asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began action to limit it's uses in 1973. Most of the asbestos products used as building materials were banned by 1978.

We recently had our facilities re-inspected by a certified asbestos inspector as required by AHERA. The inspector located, sampled, and determined the condition and hazard potential of all material in our buildings suspected of containing asbestos. The re-inspection and laboratory analysis records form the basis of the asbestos management plan.

A certified Management Planner has developed an asbestos management plan for our buildings which includes: notification letters, training for our employees, a set of procedures designed to minimize the disturbance of asbestos containing materials and plans for regular surveillance of the materials.

A copy of the management plan is available for your inspection in the Superintendent's office. Please make an appointment during office hours if you wish to review this plan.

We are complying with AHERA and related Federal and Iowa laws and we will begin implementation of our plan on July 9, 1989. We plan on taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure that our students and employees have a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and work.

Under the Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA), parents have a right to access, seek to amend, and to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from their child’s education records. Student education records cannot be released without the consent of the student’s parent(s) unless an exception to FERPA applies. Directory information may be disclosed if the parent has consented to release of directory information. However, if a parent has opted out of directory information being shared, then it may not be shared without an exception.

Notice to come.

The Union Community School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, marital status, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability in it's education programs, services, employment practices, or extracurricular activities.

Students, parents of students, applicants for employment and employees of the Union Community School District shall have the right to file a formal complaint alleging non-compliance with equity regulations. Inquiries concerning application of this statement should be addressed to: Mark Albertsen, Equity Coordinator, Union Middle School, 505 West Street, Dysart, Iowa 52224, Telephone 319-476-5100.

The Union Community School District offers evaluations, programs, and services to individuals who are identified as having, or who are suspected of having, a disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

For more information on Section 504, please visit the Iowa Department of Education website.