STAMFORD, CT and ALEXANDRIA, VA - May 24, 2022  WellAir, a leading provider of indoor air disinfection and purification solutions, today announced they have joined The Schools Superintendents Association, AASA, as a School Solutions Partner in an effort to improve school facilities and provide healthy and safe environments for all students and staff. 

For more than a decade, WellAir has been providing medical-grade solutions that address a global problem—unhealthy indoor air. Indoor air is the culprit for many virus-based illnesses, bacterial infections, asthma, allergies and a host of long-term health issues.

“The mission of AASA is to develop and support our school system leaders and we recognize the importance and urgency to address health awareness and the safety of their facilities,” said Chuck Woodruff, AASA chief operating officer. “AASA’s School Solutions Center has served as a long-standing resource to help districts improve classrooms and school buildings, which is why we are pleased to work with WellAir in our efforts to improve indoor air quality and create safer educational settings.”

After the challenges of the last couple of years through the pandemic, schools are still determining how to improve their facilities. With the U.S. Department of Education distribution of all American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds to all 50 states by late January this year, K-12 schools are focused on how to use these funds to reach the goal of fulltime, safe, in-person learning. ESSER funds can be used to improve indoor air quality for schools in many ways, including, but not limited to the inspection, testing and maintenance of current ventilation systems, improving HVAC systems or purchasing portable air purification units.

A Harvard report estimates that 46% of U.S. public schools (about 60,000 school buildings) face air-quality challenges. Poor indoor air quality has been found to increase absenteeism among staff and students and hinder academic performance. Poor heating and cooling or ventilation also decreases energy efficiency and raises expenses for school building.  Part of the new Biden-Harris Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure includes a Request for Information (RFI) for a $500 million grant program for K-12 public school energy upgrades. This grant would enable public school facilities to apply for improvements that result in a direct reduction in school energy costs, including improvements to the air conditioning and heating or ventilation systems or any improvement in a school that leads to improved teacher and student health.

“WellAir is proud to join the AASA School Solutions Center and help bring safe, effective and low maintenance indoor air quality solutions to our nations K-12 schools,” said Mark Schmidt, executive vice president, WellAir. “Our solutions have been deployed in schools throughout the United States with great success and we are excited to help more schools address their indoor air quality challenges.”

For more information on the WellAir’s solutions for educational settings, visit https://www.wellairsolutions.com/solutions/education. 

About WellAir

WellAir is a leading provider of infection control solutions and its mission is to make the indoor world cleaner and safer. The company’s broad range of clean air and surface products are scientifically proven to help safeguard how people work, live and play. WellAir’s expanding platform of medical-grade solutions includes patented, FDA-cleared products that help protect indoor environments. Plasma Air, a part of WellAir, provides HVAC air purification systems that use highly efficient and safe bipolar ionization technology to neutralize and reduce indoor air pathogens and pollutants. WellAir and its brands can be found installed in hundreds of healthcare and long-term care facilities, schools, hotels, offices, and residences in more than 60 countries worldwide. WellAir is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Stamford, Connecticut.

About AASA

AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.