Letters to the editor on school lab safety, COFs

Keeping K–12 labs safeThe American Chemical Society Safety Network thanks C&EN for drawing attention to the serious and persistent issue of hazardous chemicals in school laboratories in “Hazardous Chemicals Pile Up in K–12 Science Labs.” This long-standing challenge affects teachers, students, and facilities, and the solutions highlighted by the safety professionals interviewed in the article are greatly appreciated.We also wish to note that the ACS has developed exceptional safety resources that together form ACS’s Chemical Safety Ecosystem, as described in “Chemical Safety Ecosystem of the American Chemical Society: A Primer” (ACS Chemical Health and Safety 2026, DOI: 10.1021/acs.chas.5c00201).The ACS Safety Network—the Committee on Chemical Safety, the Division of Chemical Health and Safety, the ACS Office of Safety Programs, and other partners—supports high school educators by providing guidance, expertise, and free high-quality resources. A selection of these materials is available on the ACS Center for Lab Safety website. One key offering is the free online course Foundations for Storing, Organizing, and Disposing of Chemicals in Educational Settings. This self-paced course covers chemical hazard information, reliable safety-information sources, US Environmental Protection Agency requirements for chemical disposal, proper storage practices, chemical inventories, and hazardous waste considerations specific to school environments. ACS has devoted significant effort to translating regulatory and technical requirements into clear, accessible guidance for educators who may be managing storerooms without formal training.The course also includes a library of practical supplemental resources—such as communication templates and talking points—to help teachers alert school leadership to legacy chemical hazards and request support. Additional guidance helps identify external partners who can assist with cleaning