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In the past, asbestos was used extensively in building materials because of its insulating, sound-absorbing, and fire-retarding capabilities. Virtually any building constructed before the late 1970s contained some asbestos. Intact and undisturbed asbestos materials do not pose a health risk. Asbestos materials, however, can become hazardous when, due to damage or deterioration over time, they release fibers. If the fibers are inhaled, they can lead to health problems, such as cancer and asbestosis.

In 1986, Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) which requires schools to be inspected to identify any asbestos-containing building materials. Suspected asbestos-containing building materials were located, sampled, and rated according to condition and potential hazard. Materials assumed to contain asbestos were also rated according to condition and potential hazard. Every three years Kent School District has conducted a re-inspection to determine whether the condition of the known or assumed asbestos-containing building materials has changed and to make recommendations on managing or removing the asbestos-containing building materials. At the last re-inspection conducted in March 2013, all materials listed in the management plan as asbestos-containing, or assumed to be asbestos-containing, were inspected and found to be in good condition.

The law further required an asbestos management plan to be in place by July 1989. Kent School District developed a plan, as required, which has been continually updated. The plan has several ongoing requirements: publish a notification on management plan availability and the status of asbestos activities, educate and train its employees about asbestos and how to deal with it, notify short-term or temporary workers on the locations of the asbestos-containing building materials, post warning labels in routine maintenance areas where asbestos was previously identified or assumed, follow set plans and procedures designed to minimize the disturbance of asbestos-containing building materials, and survey the condition of these materials every six months to assure that they remain in good condition.

The following buildings contain no asbestos-containing building materials; therefore, no operations and maintenance programs or future inspections are required: Kentlake High, Cedar Heights Middle School, Northwood Middle School, Carriage Crest Elementary, Daniel Elementary, Emerald Park Elementary, Glenridge Elementary, Horizon Elementary, Jenkins Creek Elementary, Kent Elementary, Martin Sortun Elementary, Meadow Ridge Elementary, Millennium Elementary, Neely-O'Brien Elementary, Panther Lake Elementary, Sawyer Woods Elementary, Covington Elementary, and Sunrise Elementary. During the next year, we plan to manage and maintain asbestos-related activities per AHERA guidelines.

It is the intention of Kent School District to comply with all federal and state regulations controlling asbestos and to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure students and employees a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and work. You are welcome to review a copy of the asbestos management plan in the school district administrative office or the main office at every school during regular business hours.

All inquiries regarding the asbestos plan and asbestos-related issues should be directed to the maintenance team at (253) 373-7279.

This notification informs you that the Kent School District on occasion has a need to use chemical sprays in order to manage vegetation and insect pests. Chemical sprays are only one method in the district’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to help control vegetation and insect pests. IPM is an approach that implements regular monitoring and record-keeping to determine if and when treatments are needed. It employs a combination of strategies and tactics to keep pest numbers low enough to prevent unacceptable damage or annoyance. There is no fixed schedule for IPM treatments, which can range from monitoring to baiting and trapping to spraying. Chemical controls are used only when needed and in the least toxic formulation required.

The goal of IPM is to protect human health and reduce loss from pest damage, environmental pollution, human exposure to pesticides, and the cost of pest control. Spraying is done when and where monitoring has indicated that vegetation or a pest will cause unacceptable economic, aesthetic, or medical injury.

If the district deems it necessary to use chemical sprays to manage vegetation and insect pests, the following guidelines are followed:

• Whenever practical, treatments will be at times when school is not in session.
• If it is necessary to apply herbicides when school is in session, the areas will be clearly marked and isolated from the school population.
• Records of applications will be on file at the Kent School District Maintenance Department.
• Safety Data Sheets (SDS) information for approved materials can be obtained by calling the SDS toll-free telephone number at (800-451-8346).
• All people that apply approved pesticide/herbicide treatments will be licensed.
• Notification and posting of pesticide/herbicide treatments will be made in accordance with the applicable state law.

Though spray applications are primarily conducted when school is not in session and the area is posted, it is possible to obtain prior notification of applications at a specific school. Persons who would like to be placed on a list to receive notification prior to treatments at a specific school may contact Kurtis Anderson, Maintenance Supervisor, at (253) 373-7102 or Steve Fairbanks, Building Operations Supervisor, at (253) 373-7079. Please leave your name, phone number, mailing address, email address, and the name of the school(s). The list is kept for one year, beginning in September, and a request must be renewed each year.

Since 2005, Washington State law has required that schools provide the parents or guardians of students entering the sixth (6th) grade with information on meningococcal disease. Meningococcal diseases are infections caused by a bacterium called Neisseria meningitides (also called the meningococcus). Meningococcal disease includes serious infections of the fluid and lining surrounding the brain (meningitis), bloodstream (bacteremia and sepsis), lungs (pneumonia), and joints (arthritis).

Symptoms include the following:

• Sudden high fever (usually 102 degrees Fahrenheit or more)
• Chills
• Severe headache
• Difficulty breathing
• Stiff neck and back
• Painful joints
• Vomiting
• Extreme sleepiness and/or confusion
• Loss of consciousness/seizures
• Rash or bluish/purple splotches
• In babies under one year of age, the soft spot on the top of the head may bulge upward.

The bacteria is present in the noses and throats of ill persons and spread to close contacts through saliva or nose and throat secretions when talking, coughing, sneezing, kissing, etc. Healthy people who have no symptoms of illness sometimes carry the meningococcus in their noses and throats. Meningococcal infections are spread by close contact (for example, among household members) and are not spread simply by being in the same room with an infected person. Rarely, transmission occurs by sharing eating utensils, glassware, cigarettes, or toothbrushes. It takes one (1) to ten (10) days from the time a person is exposed to the bacteria for symptoms to occur.

There are two type of vaccines that protect against several kinds of meningococcal disease.

The Meningococcal A, C, W, Y vaccine(MCV4) is recommended for young adolescents at the eleven (11) to twelve (12) year checkup, with a booster for teens age 16 to 18 years.

The Meningococcal B (Men B) may be given to teens and adults aged 16 to 23 who have rare health conditions or are at increased risk because of a meningococcal B disease outbreak. Others who may be at risk are college students living in a dorm, people planning to travel    to countries where meningococcal disease is common, or persons with a weakened immune system. It is recommended that you ask your healthcare provider which of these meningococcal vaccines are needed. It is recommended that you avoid close contact with persons having respiratory infections (who are coughing and sneezing); that you avoid sharing food, drinks, cigarettes, or eating utensils; and that you wash hands before and after eating, and after coughing or sneezing.

For more information on meningococcal disease, vaccines, and where vaccines are available, see:

• Any school nurse or school-based health center in the Kent School District.

Since 2007, Washington State law has required that schools provide the parents or guardians of students entering the sixth (6th) grade with information on the human papillomavirus. Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. There are many types of HPV.  In 2018 there were about 43 million HPV infections in the US  Most HPV infections don’t cause any symptoms, and go away on their own. But HPV can cause cancer and genital warts. HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for adolescents (girls and boys) at age 11 or 12 to ensure they are protected before they are exposed to the virus, but may be given beginning at age 9. Most children who get the first dose before age 15 need 2 doses of HPV vaccine. Anyone who gets the first dose on or after 15 years or age, and younger people with certain immunocompromising conditions may need 3 doses.

The HPV vaccine is available through Washington State Childhood Vaccine program. Many providers in Washington have state supplied vaccine to use and there is no cost to parents for the vaccine. Providers may charge an office visit and/or administration fee. You may contact your doctor, nurse, or local health clinic to find out more information regarding whether you need the vaccine and where you can get it.

For more information on HPV and the HPV vaccine, see:

•  (Letters with information about HPV are also available from the Department of Health in Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.)
• Any school nurse or school-based health center in the Kent School District.

Starting with the 2020-2021 school year, school districts with more than 2000 students are required to obtain and maintain at least one set of opioid overdose reversal medication doses in each of the districts secondary schools (high schools and middle school if permitted by law).

Opioids include:

• Morphine
• Codeine
• Oxycodone
• Hydrocodone
• Hydromorphone
• Heroin
• Meperidine
• Fentanyl
• Methadone

Opioid overdose medication is used to respond to medical emergencies resulting from overdoses and is effective in reversing an opioid overdose.