Act Now on School Air to Protect Students This Fall
Public health experts are calling for indoor air quality improvements to ensure that classrooms are safe today and going forward.
I have four school-age children, and during the COVID-19 waves that rippled through the school year, every week or so at least one of their classmates tested positive. That meant my wife and I had to decide to what degree each member of our household should isolate. It felt never-ending. I know firsthand the upheaval and deprivation the pandemic has caused for students, parents, teachers, and the broader school community.
I also shared in the relief many experienced as restrictions lifted. But COVID remains an evolving threat. As summer approaches, infections and hospitalizations rise once again, underscoring the challenge faced by governments and public health officials trying to make the coronavirus a manageable part of our daily reality.
Preparing School Facilities for the Fall Semester
With summer approaching, now is the time for schools to act and ensure that proper air quality equipment is in place by fall.
Public health experts identify a key aspect of transitioning out of the pandemic: improving indoor air quality. This emphasis adds a critical dimension to a discourse that has largely focused on vaccines, masks, testing, and treatment—important measures, but insufficient on their own for creating safer indoor spaces long-term.
New ventilation guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency provide a practical task list for school administrators and building managers. This message is vital for public and private K-12 schools for which Congress set aside $122 billion under the American Rescue Plan.
According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Department of Education, 93% of those emergency funds went unspent. If districts fail to allocate them by September 2024, those funds expire. With summer approaching, now is the ideal time to apply those resources toward upgrading facilities, improving ventilation, and installing proper air quality systems before students return in the fall.
As a scientist and engineer working for over a decade to improve indoor air, I have witnessed the profound effect air quality has on health and well-being. If we miss this turning point, we risk failing to secure healthy air in education for good.
The Growing Crisis of Student Absenteeism
With children spending roughly 1,300 hours a year inside school buildings, air quality is paramount. Yet multiple studies over the past decade show that the vast majority of U.S. schools fall short of minimum ventilation standards.
Unsurprisingly, schools have long acted as incubators for illness. Before COVID-19, about 16% of American students missed at least 10% of the school year. During severe flu seasons, absenteeism frequently tops 25%. Post-pandemic, student attendance across all demographics has fallen further.
Consequences of Chronic Absenteeism:
- Academic Setbacks: Chronic absence harms academic achievement, social skills, and graduation rates. Students chronically absent between 8th and 12th grades are over seven times more likely to drop out.
- Funding Deficits: School funding is typically tied to enrollment and attendance. A 2013 California study found that exceeding state ventilation standards decreased absences enough to generate an additional $33 million in annual funding against a $4 million improvement cost.
Indoor Air Quality, Cognitive Function, and Health
Even when poor air does not trigger immediate illness, it impacts health and performance. Particulate air pollution is long linked to heart disease, asthma, and lung cancer. Furthermore, a 2021 Harvard report established a direct link between indoor air and brain function, demonstrating that individuals perform significantly better on cognitive tests under enhanced ventilation conditions.
Actionable Steps for Parents and School Administrators
Parents have successfully shaped school safety policies in recent years and can play an equally vital role in addressing indoor air quality:
- Install IAQ Sensors: Request that schools install monitors tracking particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Publish Public Dashboards: Encourage transparent reporting of indoor environmental data for parents and staff.
- Eliminate Pollutant Sources: Ban items that generate particulate emissions, such as indoor candles and fragrance sticks.
- Deploy Portable Air Cleaners: Add portable air disinfection units to protect classroom breathing zones.
- Upgrade HVAC Infrastructure: Schedule major HVAC filtration and purification upgrades during summer recess when classrooms are unoccupied.
Science-backed air cleaning technologies are ready to make our schools safer. With healthier air, our children—and educators—can breathe easier knowing education does not come at the expense of health.
Felipe Soberón, Ph.D., is Chief Science Officer at WellAir.