CHO Leadership Academy (July 2025)

The Chemical Hygiene Officer Leadership Academy is a 1‑week intensive, mentorship‑driven program designed to build leadership, compliance, and risk‑management expertise for anyone responsible for school science and STEM safety. Led by nationally recognized safety experts and experienced peers, this collaborative program delivers proven frameworks, practical strategies, and real‑world case studies to help you protect students, staff, and your institution while reducing legal and operational risk.

While this Academy is essential for current and aspiring Chemical Hygiene Officers, it is also highly valuable for Directors of Facilities, who oversee building safety systems; Principals and Administrators, who carry legal accountability for safety compliance; Science Supervisors and Educators, who design and implement lab‑based learning; and Environmental Hygiene Officers, who manage chemical safety across multiple programs. By understanding the CHO’s role, you gain the tools to coordinate effectively, close safety gaps, make informed decisions, and lead a proactive safety culture in your school or district.

Academy Model: Instructor-led + Self-paced.

This course is offered twice daily at 10 am ET and 1 pm ET. You can attend either class depending on your schedule.

Duration: Starts Monday, July 21, 2025. Meets every day for 1 week.  12 hours + self-guided tasks.  (Starts Monday, July 21, and Completes on Friday, July 25.  Scheduled for 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET, and 1 pm – 3 pm every day).

Intended Audience: Recommended for current Chemical Hygiene Officers and those interested in moving into this role, Directors of Facilities, Principals, Science Supervisors, Science Educators, and Environmental Hygiene Officers.

Instructor: This program is led by an NRCC-credentialed instructor with 10+ years experience in K-12 school systems.

Upcoming Cohort Dates:
September 16, 2025, (10-week course)
January 6, 2026 (10-week course)
April 7, 2026 (10-week course)

By attending this Academy, you will learn:

• Responsible chemical management, including chemical storage, chemical handling, chemical disposal, fire safety, emergency procedures, PPE, ventilation, safety documentation, and related safety criteria.
• How to build a school-wide and district-wide culture of safety awareness based on appropriate (grade and subject-area) safety training on an ongoing basis.
• Hazard and risk recognition and mitigation strategies for emergency procedures and proactive planning for safer demonstrations and laboratory activities.
• Lab safety rules based on legal safety standards, including OSHA 1910.1450; 1910.1200; 1910.132; NFPA 101; NFPA 45; ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 D3 2020, and other accepted professional safety practices involving laboratory use.
• How to effectively manage a chemical spill, a fire, chemical combinations, waste management (chemical and biological), and the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP).
• Safer prevention strategies to reduce potential legal liability under ‘Duty of Care’ obligations
• How other CHOs have handled various scenarios in their school jurisdictions over time and used these as ‘teachable’ moments to elevate the understanding of science educators in order to prevent a similar accident from occurring in the future.