Licensing Agency or Facility Locator? - All pdfs open in new
window
| There is no state license required to operate a school or educational
facility from the Department of Health (DOH). However, there may
be local county government fees or licenses required through the
local county health department. |
Schools:
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Head Lice: |
The Department of
Education (DOE)
operates the public school system and oversees charter schools in
Florida through local county school boards. Any school facility is
required to get a satisfactory group care environmental health
inspection from the local county health department prior to opening or operating
in Florida.
Section
381.006 (16) (10K PDF), of the Florida Statutes (FS), provide authority for
Department of Health inspections. Private or non-public schools
are also required to register with the DOE, (Non-public
School Registration).
To locate a public or non-public/private school in your county,
please go to the school facility locator websites.
Public:
Directory
Private/non-public:
Directory
In The News (pdfs open in new window)
The Department of Health currently has Chapter 64E-13, FAC, open for
revision. The
Notice of Rule Development (pdf <1mb) can be found in the February
19, 2010, publication of the Florida Administrative Weekly (FAW).
(insert advertisement PDF) A copy of the
draft rule (pdf
<1mb) language can be viewed at the following PDF link.
Recently there has been much media attention related to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in school facilities.
For more information related to MRSA, please visit the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention website at:
MRSA in school facilities.
Planning On Opening A School?
Prior to opening or operating a school, you first need to contact the
local county health department. In addition to the
group care and food hygiene requirements, you must first get approval or
sign off in the following areas before an environmental health
inspection will be conducted:
- The building must be inspected and approved by the local fire
authority as a school or educational facility.
- Local county or city zoning must provide written zoning approval
for the school location.
- The local county or city electrical, plumbing, and building
department must provide a signed inspection approval or written
approval that the school facility meets all local educational
standards for the aforementioned departments.
Once the appropriate paperwork is provided to the local county health
department, the DOH can begin to process your request and open your
school. In addition, any food service, including snacks or catered
food, must be approved by the local county health department.
One of the most challenging aspects for new school facilities is
meeting the existing restroom requirements for the students and staff.
Chapter
64E-13, FAC (26K PDF),
requires separate restroom facilities for faculty/staff from the
students restrooms. In addition, for kindergarten through third
(3rd) grades, restrooms are required to be within or adjoining the
classroom. For grades fourth (4th) and up, separate restrooms for
each sex (boys and girls) are required. All group restrooms are
require to be equipped with doors and the doors must be self closing.
Please keep these standards in mind when selecting a location for your
proposed school facility.
What to do, if you have a complaint about a school.
If you have a complaint about the food or an
environmental condition at a school, you can
contact your
local county health department. For improved
investigational purposes, please have the details surrounding the
complaint, date(s) of the incident or
observation, location/room within the facility it occurred or was
observed, address of the facility, and any other pertinent information
related to the issue.
If your complaint is about treatment, conduct, accident
reporting, behavior, staff ratios or any non-food or environmental
issue:
-
Public School- contact their local school board or
the DOE state Office at
DOE Contact
-
Private Schools- contact the school directly, any
religious accrediting agency, or the
Office of Independent or Parental Choice at DOE.
-
Colleges/Universities- contact the college or
university's main Administration.
What does an Environmental Health physical plant/group care inspection cover?
 In various group care facilities such as schools, we ensure good sanitary health and safety practices are in place related to construction, operation,
and maintenance among the children, employees, and visitors to the school facility. Our purpose is to prevent or minimize the risk of transmitting disease,
injury, or bodily harm. The list below includes some of the primary areas the environmental health inspectors check during their inspection visit of the educational buildings. The DOH does not inspect dormitories.
- Maintenance & Repair
- Lighting
- Vermin/Animal Control
- Water Supply
- Liquid & Solid Waste
- Heating and Air-conditioning
- Sanitary Facilities/Restrooms & Showers
- Hand washing Facilities & Supplies
- Playground Equipment
There are many things to look for both inside and outside the facility and on the playground. Here are
some of the things that an environmental health
inspection might find that does not meet the code. These are pictures of pinch hazards, injury hazards, and
lack of maintenance to prevent vector or vermin
infestations outside on the play ground or surrounding
property the schools are located on.
 Also, wood structures and play equipment can
deteriorate over time and through exposure to Florida's
elements. Here is a picture of a leaning fence on
a playground that needs maintenance. In addition,
climbing equipment can become splintery and need sanding
or replacement to prevent injury during use.
Physical Plant Inspections?
Yes - DOH Rules -
64E-13 F.A.C. (26K PDF) There are no exemptions to inspections for private
or religiously based educational facilities.
- Public Schools
- Charter Schools
- Private or Non-public Schools
- Vocational/GED Schools
- College/Universities
Good management practices for facility pest control and head lice information.
Information can be found at the University of Florida's
web site
Integrated Pest Management.
Food Inspections.
When food is served or catered at a school, the following applies:
Snacks Only Food Permit:
- Snacks are defined in
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K PDF
opens in new window)
as, a commercially pre-packaged non-potentially hazardous ready-to-eat-food
item that is wrapped for individual consumption.
- A state DOH food permit is required when a facility only serves
snacks, even if they are catered in by a third party provider.
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K PDF)
exempts centers serving snack food only from the state permit fee.
However, local county fees may apply.
-
- Prior to opening or operating, a set of plans drawn to scale and
a completed food hygiene permit (to serve snacks only) application
must be submitted to the local county health department for a
food hygiene plan review. For non-public schools there is a fee associated with
the required plan review. To apply for a food hygiene
permit for snack food service, please go to the
food hygiene website
or contact your
local county health department's environmental health section.
-
- DOH Rules:
-
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K PDF)
- Inspection Frequency:
- Twice per year.
Meals or Meals & Snacks
- If a school serves meals, has catered meals, or
serves meals and snacks, a permit, plan review, and inspections are
required. Prior to opening or operating, a set of plans drawn
to scale and a completed food hygiene permit application must be
submitted to the local county health department for a food
hygiene plan review. For non-public schools there is a fee associated with the
required plan review. To apply for a food hygiene permit,
please go to the
food hygiene website
or contact your
local county health department's environmental health section.
-
- DOH Rules:
-
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K PDF)
- Inspection Frequency:
- Once per quarter (four times per year)
- Form Used:
-
DH 4023(649K PDF)
Variances:
Facilities:
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