Relating to radon testing in schools, including responsibilities of nonpublic schools, applicability to charter and innovation zone schools, establishing a school testing and mitigation of radon grant program within the department of education, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to radon testing for accredited nonpublic schools, public school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools. The bill establishes the school testing and mitigation of radon grant program within the department of education to provide grants to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to offset the costs of testing and mitigating radon in attendance centers. The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules to administer the grant program, including rules relating to grant application materials, eligibility requirements, and award criteria. The state board is responsible for approving or rejecting applications submitted by school districts under the grant program. The bill establishes a school testing and mitigation of radon grant program fund in the state treasury. The bill also allows the state board of education to adopt emergency rules to administer the grant program. The bill requires accredited nonpublic schools to establish a radon plan and schedule for short-term tests for radon gas to be performed at each attendance center at least once by July 1, 2027, and at least once every five years thereafter. Short-term testing shall be performed between October 1 and March 31. The bill also requires accredited nonpublic schools to publish testing results on the school’s internet site in a timely manner, and requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to provide testing results to the department of health and human services. Testing results of school districts shall be considered public records under Code chapter 22 (open records). Further, the bill requires that each school district that was required to conduct short-term radon testing as of June 30, 2025, to provide an update of testing results to the department of health and human services by July 1, 2026. The bill imposes other responsibilities on accredited nonpublic schools related to testing for radon gas, including requiring testing by an employee that has completed a school radon testing training program. The bill requires the authorities in charge of the accredited nonpublic school to conduct a second short-term test for radon gas and radon decay products within 60 days of the first test, if the results of the first short-term test at an attendance center are at or above four picocuries per liter. If the averaged results of the first and second tests are at or above four picocuries per liter, the authorities in charge of the accredited nonpublic school shall employ a person to develop a mitigation plan that includes corrective measures and active mitigation, and may include further diagnostic testing, completed within two years of the first test.32. The bill takes effect upon enactment.