October 26, 2020
Monday AM

Germany is investing $488 million in an effort to improve air circulation in public buildings. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), a professional association seeking to “advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration” has established guidelines for building administrators to refer to when dealing with coronavirus-related issues. The United States Congress earmarked Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARE) funds to states to help with the added expense to get buildings better prepared to cope with the transmission of this virus. As a retired elementary teacher with twenty-three years here in Ketchikan, I am concerned with the air quality that students and staff cope with on a daily basis.

At the building where I taught, the air-handling system was a constant issue from one end of the school to the other. Some rooms were too cold, others too warm, and some just had “dead air”. It was my hope that the district’s administrators would have an outside company assess each building’s air circulation system and provide recommendations in an effort to make the return to the classroom a viable option, should the virus persist into the fall. My understanding is that the issue of safe ventilation has been discussed, but little has been done (beyond installing new filters). Now, I understand that the air-handlers are old and the cost to upgrade must be prohibitive. Yet, CARE funds were meant to help offset that financial burden. Funds may have been delegated to buy individual air-purifiers for each room, yet here we are in late October and this has not been done. Two staff members went ahead and bought their own with personal funds, but administration has not even reimbursed those purchases.

It is admirable that the KGBSD has made an effort to provide their buildings for brick-and-mortar delivery of education. However, we should not become complacent with this virus. Most of the new cases in town are “community contact” and public schools are a major gathering place for families. It would be reassuring to see that every effort and available funds are being spent to assure the health and safety of students and staff. Should additional funding become available, indoor air quality should be the primary focus.

Mark O’Brien
Ketchikan, Alaska

Related:

• Funding for school facility improvements a requirement for safe reopening: (https://www.educationdive.com/news/funding-for-school-facility-improvements-a-requirement-for-safe-reopening/583423/)
• ASHRAE Recommendations: (https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/technical%20resources/covid-19/ashrae-reopening-schools-and-universities-c19-guidance.pdf)
• Germany Investing: (https://inews.co.uk/news/coronavirus-germany-windows-open-reduce-covid-explained-730281)

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The text of this letter was NOT edited by the SitNews Editor.

Received October 25, 2020 - Published October 26, 2020

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