The U.S. Department of the Interior’s flawed inspections system for Bureau of Indian Education schools poses a serious safety threat to students and staff, the Government Accountability Office has found.
Inspectors for the congressional watchdog agency found that 69 out of the 180 BIE schools, or nearly 40 percent, were not inspected for safety and health violations in fiscal year 2015. And critical violations identified in inspection reports, such as missing fire extinguishers and elevated levels of carbon monoxide from aging boilers, were not immediately addressed.
The GAO called on the Interior Department to revise its inspection guidance system and to ensure that schools are inspected annually, among other changes.
