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Loudoun County Public Schools strives to maintain healthy educational facilities for students, staff, and visitors. As part of this effort, LCPS complies with the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) (40 CFR Part 763, Subpart E) and follows these regulations governing the inspection and management of asbestos in its facilities. There are currently 31 buildings (26 standard schools, 2 charter schools, and 3 support facilities) actively managed under the LCPS AHERA program. Fire doors are monitored in an additional 17 school buildings. Please refer to the tables below to determine which category your building falls under.

Staff and school communities in LCPS facilities with asbestos-containing materials receive an annual notification letter from the building administrators detailing all inspections and any response actions involving asbestos materials at their school conducted each school year.

Approved Asbestos Management Plans were developed for each existing school building in 1988 following initial inspections in accordance with AHERA requirements. Management Plans were developed for all other school buildings in 2023 in accordance with clarifications to the AHERA requirements. The Asbestos Management Plans document the types, locations, and conditions of all known asbestos-containing building materials in each applicable facility. The Management Plans are living documents, updated with records of inspections, samples, abatements, and response actions dating back to 1988. A physical copy of the Management Plan is maintained in the main office of the building it covers. A second copy of all plans is maintained at the LCPS Facilities Services offices in Leesburg, Virginia. All LCPS Asbestos Management Plans are available for in-person review upon request. Most plans are digitally available and can be requested by contacting Email Environmental Health and Safety.  

AHERA regulations for schools are founded on the principle of “in-place” management of asbestos-containing materials. This approach is designed to prevent asbestos exposure by teaching people to recognize asbestos-containing materials, actively monitor their condition, and where necessary, manage them in place. Removal (abatement) of ACM is not usually necessary unless the material is severely damaged or will be disturbed by a building demolition or renovation project. If removal of asbestos during renovation is warranted, or school buildings will be demolished, LCPS additionally complies with the Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).

The LCPS Environmental Health and Safety Division performs semi-annual inspections of known and assumed asbestos-containing materials, staff awareness training, operations & maintenance removal and encapsulation efforts, recordkeeping, and sampling of suspect materials. The LCPS team includes Virginia-Licensed Asbestos Inspectors, Asbestos Project Monitors, and an Asbestos Management Planner. LCPS hires licensed third-party contractors to perform triennial re-inspections and abatement projects.