§ 409-I — Procurement and use of environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products

§ 409-i. Procurement and use of environmentally-sensitive cleaning and\nmaintenance products. 1. For the purpose of this section the following\nterms shall mean:\n (a) "Elementary or secondary school" means a facility used for\ninstruction of elementary or secondary students by: (i) any school\ndistrict, including a special act school district and a city school\ndistrict in a city having a population of one hundred twenty-five\nthousand inhabitants or more, (ii) a board of cooperative educational\nservices, (iii) a charter school, (iv) an approved private school for\nthe education of students with disabilities, (v) a state-supported\nschool for the deaf or blind operated pursuant to article eighty-five of\nthis chapter, and (vi) any other private or parochial elementary or\nsecondary school.\n (b) "Environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products"\nmeans those cleaning and maintenance products that minimize adverse\nimpacts on children's health and the environment.\n (c) "Facility" means any school building or facility used for\ninstructional purposes and the surrounding grounds or other sites used\nfor playgrounds, athletics or other instructional purposes.\n 2. The commissioner of general services, in consultation with the\ncommissioner and the commissioners of environmental conservation, health\nand labor, shall establish and from time to time amend guidelines and\nspecifications for environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance\nproducts for use in elementary and secondary school facilities. For the\npurpose of developing appropriate criteria for such guidelines and\nspecifications, such commissioners shall review and evaluate existing\nresearch regarding environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance\nproducts, including but not limited to, research and guidance issued by\nthe United States environmental protection agency and the office of the\nfederal environmental executive. In developing such guidelines, the\ncommissioner of general services shall provide public notice and an\nopportunity to comment. Such guidelines shall be followed by elementary\nand secondary schools to identify and procure environmentally-sensitive\ncleaning and maintenance products which are available in the form,\nfunction and utility generally used by elementary and secondary schools\nin their facilities.\n 3. The commissioner of general services shall disseminate to all\nelementary and secondary schools guidelines and specifications for the\npurchase and use of environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance\nproducts in elementary and secondary schools for use in their\nfacilities. The commissioner of general services shall also prepare and\ndisseminate to all elementary and secondary schools a sample list of\nsuch environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products that\nmeet these guidelines or specifications. The commissioner of general\nservices shall provide assistance and guidance to elementary and\nsecondary schools in carrying out the requirements of this section.\nElementary and secondary schools shall follow such guidelines,\nspecifications and sample list when purchasing cleaning and maintenance\nproducts for use in their facilities.\n 4. Elementary and secondary schools shall notify their personnel of\nthe availability of such guidelines, specifications and sample list.\n 5. On or before June first, two thousand seven, the department, in\nconsultation with the office of general services, shall issue a report\nproviding an analysis of the impact of such guidelines and\nspecifications on the purchasing, procurement and use of\nenvironmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products by\nelementary and secondary schools. Nothing in this section shall preclude\nan elementary or secondary school from depleting existing cleaning and\nmaintenance supply stores purchased prior to the effective date of this\nsection.\n