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Articles by James Palcik
Lab Safety Requirements and School Administrators
0 Now that you are aware of the legal safety standards and have accepted better professional safety practices regarding science instructional space laboratories and classrooms in your schools covered in Part 1 of this series, let’s explore the critical requirements for you as the site administrator/supervisor to ensure that you are meeting your regulatory compliance requirements.
Lab Safety What School Administrators Need to Know
0 In 1990, Federal OSHA’s “Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories” came into effect.
Laboratory Safety What School Administrators Need to Know
0 Part one of a two-part series on Laboratory Safety What School Administrators Need to Know. In 1990, Federal OSHA’s “Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories” or “Laboratory Standard” (29 CFR 1910.1450) came into effect.
Dissections in Schools- Traditional vs. Digital
0 Dissection and virtual dissection are two different yet similar methods used to study the anatomy of organisms. Traditional biological dissections involves physically cutting open an organism to study its internal anatomical and physiological systems and structures. In contrast, virtual dissection involves using digital tools and software or synthetic materials instead of actual organisms to simulate the dissection process. Many educators view this as essential STEAM learning.
Occupancy Load in STEAM Instructional Spaces
0 How many students can I legally have in my STEAM instructional space? Most educators and school building administrators are unaware of legal safety standards and better professional safety practices related to occupancy load in science or STEM instructional spaces. Science/STEM instructional spaces (e.g., science/STEM laboratories, classrooms, combination labs/classrooms, field sites, etc.) can create a real problem.
Benefits of a Chemical Hygiene Officer in Every School
0 Laws and regulations require school districts across the nation to have a district-designated Chemical Hygiene Officer. Often called the CHO (or Environmental Hygiene Officer in certain states), they have the responsibility and accountability to enforce and manage responsible chemical purchasing, handling, storage, and disposal procedures across the district among many other regulatory and annual compliance criteria.
21st Century School-Home Communication (S1E5)
0 For this episode, special guest Dr. Chad Stevens joins host James Palcik, CEO of Science Safety. This episode explores 21st century school and community engagement. Particularly how K12 schools communicate and advise parents and community stakeholders about the connection between technology and school safety. What Does Engagement Look Like in the 21st Century School? The conversation begins by exploring what communication looks like in contemporary school districts.
Non-Compliance- Can my school be fined for it?| edCircuit
0 Can your school be fined for non-compliance or serious occupational health and safety violations concerning STEAM Safety? YES! This is a very real possibility and one that is not always taken at face value. There are multiple state and federal regulations surrounding keeping schools ‘safer’ through various mechanisms, such as unannounced safety inspections, adherence to legal safety standards, and reporting by employees of unsafe conditions in the workplace.
STEAM Safety Advice for New Teachers
5 As a new teacher in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics), you have the exciting opportunity to shape the minds of the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators. Your role is crucial in helping students discover their passion for STEAM subjects and encouraging them to pursue careers in these fields. Here is some STEAM Safety Advice for New Teachers.
Cybersecurity in K12 Education
0 For this episode of Safer Ed, special guests Frankie Jackson and Jeff Angle join host James Palcik, CEO of Science Safety, to discuss K12 Cybersecurity. The conversation begins by defining some cybersecurity challenges and threats to school data and information technology structures. From typical fishing cybersecurity attacks to the kind of vulnerable data, this conversation provides a great baseline for cybersecurity in K20.
Risk Management in K12 STEAM Programs: Part 2
0 Based on the first article with a summary of risk management and its practices in the K-12 educational sector. This will focus on the science, STEM, and CTE programs across the grade levels and how risk management is connected to the activities that are taught, the field trips and excursions planned, and the safety reviews of these by the legal, facilities, or program services department at the district level.
STEAM for Students with Additional Needs
3 STEAM programs often require a delicate balance of managing hazards, risks, and multi-faceted individual learning strategies for your students and their needs. There is another dimension requiring attention from a safety awareness perspective, which is programming for students with additional. More students are identified with an IEP or with a medical diagnosis requiring accommodations or modifications to align with their academic needs than ever before in our classrooms.
STEM Lab Inspections and Legal Requirements
12Importance of STEM Lab Inspections Many school districts know it is a legal requirement to regularly provide STEM laboratory inspection. A key part of this inspection is the chemical hygiene officer. A designated Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) is a legal obligation for school districts. It is the person who can best conduct your REQUIRED annual safety inspections in your school laboratories.
Responsible Chemical Management Part 2
Responsible Chemical Management in K12 Education Based on a recent article published on responsible chemical management for school districts, some questions about the accountability, liability, and responsibility of having chemicals in your schools were left unanswered. Chemical inventory management refers to managing chemicals throughout their lifecycle.
Necessary Lab PPE with Dr. Ken Roy - Safer Ed Episode 2 (S1E2)
54 For this episode of Safer Ed, special guest Dr. Ken Roy joins host James Palcik, CEO of Science Safety, to discuss Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Safer Ed – Using PPE to Create Safer Environments The conversation begins by defining PPE and its applicability in STEM classrooms and lab environments. PPE is a term many people first learned about during the pandemic. However, science instructors and administrators know it is a cornerstone of keeping students safer in the laboratory.
Responsible STEM Chemical Management
46 How can you adequately encapsulate the topic of chemical inventory, storage, GHS labeling, Safety Data Sheets, and, of course, the associated hazards from the chemicals themselves in a compressed format and provide the necessary impact to the audience?
Safer STEM Learning is a Necessity
It is essential that all science teachers, especially those who use laboratory work in their classes, have an understanding of how to create environments that support safer STEM learning. Safer STEM Learning is a Necessity Recently, I was asked to facilitate an awareness-building activity involving pre-service teachers with a local university Faculty of Education department for students in the junior/intermediate and intermediate/senior science and STEM disciplines.
Safer STEM Learning is a Necessity
49 It is essential that all science teachers, especially those who use laboratory work in their classes, have an understanding of how to create environments that support safer STEM learning. Safer STEM Learning is a Necessity Recently, I was asked to facilitate an awareness-building activity involving pre-service teachers with a local university Faculty of Education department for students in the junior/intermediate and intermediate/senior science and STEM disciplines.
Santa Claus – A STEAM Safety Experiment | edCircuit
At this festive time of year, many students and adults are thinking about Santa visiting them on Christmas Eve, providing that they have been ‘nice’ and not on the naughty list. In this article, we will critically examine the important factors associated with Santa’s big night from an informed, intelligent STEAM safety perspective.
The Importance of Chemical Hygiene Plans in School Districts
I am often surprised by the lack of awareness in safety concerns across elementary, middle, and high school science and STEM programs regarding the cavalier attitude towards chemicals and the special considerations necessary for safety compliance. This is a result of many false assumptions, and I am not the first, nor will I be the last safety advocate to bring some attention to this growing concern in our school science chemical storerooms.
Risk Management for K-12 Schools
Risk Management for K-12 Schools In our increasingly litigious world, it is becoming commonplace for people to use the words ‘risk’, ‘hazard’ and ‘liability’ quite interchangeably, which is incorrect, especially when you examine what risk management for K-12 means to a school, or to a whole school district.
Methanol used in K-12 is a Preventable Hazard
Methanol used in K-12 is a Preventable Hazard Many high school science departments have methanol (methyl alcohol; wood alcohol; wood spirits; carbinol; methyl hydrate) in their chemical store rooms safely locked in a flammables safety chemical cabinet. That is the best place for that substance to be kept.
Teaching STEM during COVID
Expert Perspectives Teaching STEM during COVID How can I create a safe lab experience for my students? How will I have time to sanitize everything in my lab before and after each class? Do I have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) at my school? What is the best way to engage my students when they aren’t in class? How can I continue to make STEM activities fun and interactive?
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