PSS lacks required sanitation permits

While Gov. Benigno Fitial has lifted the executive order to allow four schools—Marianas High School, Kagman Elementary, Koblerville Elementary and Oleai Head Start—to start classes today, the Public School System does not have the necessary sanitation permits as required by law.

Fitial cancelled the executive order, the shortest during his administration, after the Department of Public Health was satisfied with water quality tests conducted Monday at the schools.

But under the Commonwealth Environmental Health and Sanitation Act of 2000, a health inspector must visit all schools—public or private, kindergarten through college—and declare the school sanitary before the school is allowed to purchase a permit.

“It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or open…the businesses without a valid and current sanitary permit for such establishment or activity,” the law states.

The permits cost $50, according to the Bureau of Environmental Health.

“It’s always been required, but PSS never paid for the permits,” said Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez.

If permits had been issued and violations occurred, DPH and BEH could have shut the affected schools down without an executive order by the governor, Villagomez said.

The issue is not money, Villagomez said, but rather the need for the schools to know what is required of them.

“Fees are a non-issue,” he said. “The sanitary permit gives them protocol and everyone will be on top of it.”

Education Commissioner Rita Sablan and Board of Education chair Lucy Blanco-Maratita said they were unaware of the lack of permits.

Repeated calls to the Bureau of Environmental Health, which issues the permits, were not returned yesterday.

According to the law, permits must be renewed annually. Before a permit is granted, an inspector must visit the location and verify sanitation requirements. Once a permit is granted, the health inspector conducts a site assessment at least once every six months, unless otherwise noted.

Lynn Tenorio, Deputy Secretary for Public Health Administration, said some schools would call and request inspections on their own, and BEH would visit each school at least twice a year.

According to the law, health inspectors will check for water supply adequacy in quantity and quality; sewage and waste disposal; cleanliness of the facility and premises; protection of equipment and other materials from dirt and contamination; maintenance of equipment; restroom facilities; control and exclusion of insects and rodents; and infectious disease control.

Fitial passed the executive order Sunday night, delaying the start of the four schools after the results of water quality tests did not come back in time. Last week Fitial asked DPH to establish a task force to check the preparedness of the public schools in light of the island’s continuing power outages.

Fitial had earlier ask the Board of Education to consider pushing back the start of school until power was stabilized, but the board decided to start the year as scheduled.