Today, in U.S. schools, over 49 million students will attend classes. Many are in facilities that have been described as “dismal”. A third of school districts haven’t even conducted a facility assessment in the past decade.

Substandard facilities affect more than student comfort or the adequacy of equipment for instruction. They are adversely impacting student health and performance, too.

But over the next 18 months we have an unprecedented opportunity to produce a generational improvement in the health and performance of tens of millions of public school students by dramatically improving their indoor air quality.

As is true in many offices and other facilities, air purification today in many schools is provided through low-grade MERV filters in the central HVAC system. And, like those other facilities, about half of outdoor air pollutants still find their way inside. This is significant since, as the 2022 American Lung Association’s “State of the Air Report” found, over 40% of Americans, and growing, are living in areas with unhealthy outdoor air. They also note that “a changing climate is making it harder to protect human health.”

Schools suffer from unique additional sources of outdoor pollution, such as idling diesel buses, and indoor pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from labs, shop, art supplies, furniture, and carpets. Highly-crowded classrooms – up to four times as crowded as offices – make it easier for viruses and bacteria to spread, and cause elevated air pollution levels, including particulate matter (PMs), VOCs, and CO2. These overcrowded facilities, and poor IAQ, are often worse in schools with more low-income and minority students.

All of this is happening to young people with immature immune systems that are not yet fully able to protect them. It can result in high rates of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, COVID, colds, the flu, and many other conditions. It also can lead to increased behavior problems and have negative impacts on students’ socio-emotional development. In a comprehensive review of dozens of medical articles, the authors found that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can produce significantly lower academic performance and other problems, too.

The problem affects poorly-performing students the most since if a high-achieving student’s performance is impacted, they can still meet minimum performance requirements. But for a poorly-performing student, any decline may tip them over into failure.

To help deal with the impact of COVID on public schools, the federal government created the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER). ESSER funds are available in three tranches. ESSER II funds are currently available and must be used by September of this year. ESSER III funds totaling $122 billion are available through September 30, 2024. Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) is available for independent schools.

Over 60% of ESSER I funds went to personnel, and considering the additional stress placed on teachers and administrators by COVID, that’s understandable. Some of ESSER I and II funds have gone to upgrading central HVAC filters to MERV 11 or 13, as well as portable room air purifiers, which may still be inadequate. Another problem is that districts often fall behind on maintaining these air purifiers, which generally require filter replacements at least twice a year. These systems typically don’t provide IAQ data, either.

Our children deserve better.

The gold standard for air purifiers are HEPA filters. These remove over 99.97% of particulate matter across a broad spectrum. Tests in a hospital COVID ward showed that HEPA filters substantially eliminated the danger of COVID even there.

A new category of commercial air purifiers is making it possible to deliver high-quality air cleaning with little maintenance. They combine HEPA filters with self cleaning, which could reduce the need to replace filters to as infrequently as every five years or so, a 10-20x improvement over many current filters. Units feature built-in IAQ monitors, so the facilities team knows in real-time whether or not the systems are working properly and children are being protected, or if there are problems that they need to address.

If a significant amount of ESSER II and III funds, and EANS funds, are devoted to providing true improvements in classroom air quality, students will be reaping the health and performance benefits for many years to come. If we miss this 18-month window, it won’t come again for a very long time, if ever. And that would be a shame.

Tatama Air Cleaner

For commercial new construction or retrofits into existing facilities

Tatama uses Metalmark’s advanced HEPA-grade filters to capture airborne particulates, smoke, VOCs, and pathogens, including viruses and bacteria.

Sierra Air Filters

For your existing commercial HVAC systems

The HVAC filter with enhanced protection against wildfire smoke. A simple drop-in replacement with no change to air flow or pressure.

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