HAZARDS ON CAMPUS VIOLATIONS FOUND AT SCHOOLS ACROSS CITY.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

Inspectors have found scores of glaring health and safety violations at San Fernando Valley public schools: Blocked emergency exits, peeling lead-based paint, haphazard use of toxic chemicals among others.

Under the Los Angeles Unified School District's new Safe School Inspection program, 248 of the district's 900 school and office sites have been surveyed - 75 of them in the Valley. Among them, Taft High in Woodland Hills and Northridge Middle School were among those with the greatest number of safety violations.

Taft High had 37 violations ranging from improper storage of chemicals, acids and flammable liquids to dangerous use of electrical wiring.

Northridge Middle School received 29 citations, for everything from the absence of quick-release latches on classroom window grilles to flaking lead-based paint and blocked emergency exits.

Although administrators at both schools said most violations have been fixed since they were first discovered during routine inspections in April and October, the results show how desperately schools need regular and thorough safety checks, said Angelo Bellomo, director of the district's Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

``In order to provide an acceptable learning environment you have to first provide facilities that are safe and conducive to learning,'' Bellomo said. ``That is a threshold we have to ensure is being met at our schools.''

The Safe School Inspection program, the first of its kind in the district, aims to ensure campuses comply with federal, state and local regulations. It was undertaken after LAUSD's poor record of protecting children from toxic and other safety hazards was exposed.

Under the program, schools will be annually checked by one of more than 15 districtwide inspectors who are trained to spot safety risks on campus and off. Not only will they scrutinize school emergency plans, but examine uneven sidewalks, measure air and sound quality, and review campus security.

``It's something very different from what we've done in the past,'' school board member Julie Korenstein said. ``Generally speaking, in the past we went out when someone called in a problem. Hopefully, this will be preventive.''

The program began in earnest last summer after pilot inspections of several schools uncovered myriad hazards. Dangers ranged from toxic mold in the walls to exposed lead-based paint and asbestos to fire, chemical and electrical risks that endangered students and faculty.

Sun Valley Middle School, one of the campuses in the pilot program, was cited for its cafeteria, which is pockmarked with missing ceiling tiles coated with asbestos glue. Pete Ferry, the school's interim principal, said the cafeteria will close next month for a complete renovation.

Once a school is inspected, it receives a letter outlining safety problems found and a time line in which to fix them. The most serious violations require immediate attention while the least serious offenses can be fixed within six months. The severity of hazards are ranked from 1 to 4, with 1 posing the greatest threat.

Examples of priority 1 violations include fire hazards and exposure to toxic chemicals. Priority 4 violations involve minor problems such as cracked sidewalks.

Although the schools are responsible for reporting their compliance with local, state and federal guidelines, the district will conduct quick reinspections depending on the severity of the violation and the availability of inspectors, said Arnold Giroux, the district's senior safety officer.

Bellomo estimates that every school will have had an initial inspection by this summer. Ultimately, district health and safety officials will issue A to F grades to the schools, much as Los Angeles County health inspectors do when they rate restaurants.

Most of the hazards found at Northridge Middle School were removed by December, Principal Penny Sue Gwin said. While some problems required elaborate repairs, such as repainting the portico outside the campus auditorium, others were needed far less work, such as removing tables from in front of emergency room doors.

The biggest remaining task is adding quick-release latches to classroom window grilles, and Gwin said the district must complete those repairs.

``We are now more alert,'' she said of the inspection.

Taft High, too, has fixed most of its problems, said Assistant Principal Sharon Thomas. Broken sprinklers have been replaced and science teachers have been told how to properly store toxic chemicals.

``I think any inspection is good because it raises the awareness,'' she said.

Robert Collins, local superintendent of the Southwest Valley district that encompasses Northridge Middle and Taft High schools, said he would strive to ensure schools rectify their violations through monthly inspections by maintenance workers.

``My bigger concern is resolving the issues as quickly possible,'' he said.

UNSAFE SCHOOLS

Below is a list of San Fernando Valley schools and the number of health and safety violations they were cited for during inspections conducted from January through October 2001. They are among 248 schools citywide that have been reviewed under the Los Angeles Unified School District's new Safe School Inspection program:

Addams High: 16

Aggeler Opportunity High: 10

Aliso High: 13

Apperson Street Elementary: 1

Blythe Street Elementary: 27

Byrd Middle: 17

Carpenter Avenue Elementary: 2

Chase Street Elementary: 19

Danube Avenue Elementary: 2

Emelita Street Elementary: 1

Frost Middle: 2

Gledhill Street Elementary: 2

Glenwood Elementary: 1

Kittridge Street Elementary: 9

Lankershim Elementary: 1

Leonis High: 16

Lockhurst Drive Elementary: 14

Monroe High: 1

Newcastle Avenue Elementary: 17

Northridge Middle: 29

Olive Vista Middle: 1

Osceola Street Elementary: 1

Owensmouth High: 14

Oxnard Street Elementary: 3

Pacoima Middle: 1

Portola Middle: 1

Reseda Elementary: 1

Reseda High: 1

Rio Vista Elementary: 4

Roscoe Elementary: 2

San Fernando High: 2

Serrania Avenue Elementary: 19

Sherman Oaks CES: 2

Strathern Street Elementary: 1

Sun Valley Middle: 6

Sylmar High: 3

Taft High: 37

Telfair Avenue Elementary: 4

Van Nuys Elementary school site 1/Rogers High: 1

Vena Avenue Elementary: 4

Victory Boulevard Elementary: 5

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UNSAFE SCHOOLS (see text)