United States. ASHRAE provided technical assistance for a report recently released by the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Center for Green Schools, detailing how school districts across the country have continued to manage air quality within their schools during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Air Quality Management in the Pandemic: How K-12 Schools Addressed Air Quality in the Second Year of COVID-19" is based on an April 2021 report, "Pandemic Preparedness: How Schools Implemented Air Quality Measures to Protect Occupants from COVID-19," which was the first and only known national survey on the implementation on the ground of air quality improvements indoor (IAQ) in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new report highlights the urgent need to better support school districts with the implementation of airborne infection control strategies to support mitigation of the immediate threat of COVID-19, as well as future pandemics, seasonal epidemics, and improve overall indoor air quality.
"Studies have demonstrated a direct link between indoor air quality in schools and student performance and attendance," said ASHRAE 2021-22 President Mick Schwedler, P.E., ASHRAE Member, LEED AP. "This study further underscores the importance of not only providing technical guidance to improve indoor air quality, but also the need to implement practical strategies. We are confident that the findings of this report will lead to greater knowledge sharing, expanded partnerships and increased investments to improve indoor air quality and decarbonise our schools."
The report cites strategies and challenges from school districts serving more than 2.6 million students in more than 4,000 schools. The findings show that schools prioritized increasing the intake of outside air by any means available and reflect how the pandemic and school responses have evolved. It is important to national advocates that survey responses indicate that school districts in different locations (urban versus non-urban) seek guidance from different types of sources.
"Maintaining good indoor air quality is vital to supporting the health and well-being of students and teachers," said Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools. "School districts recognize that proper ventilation is critical to slowing the spread of airborne diseases like COVID-19. However, more than two years after the pandemic, they still need support to find the right strategies and resources to make the necessary changes."
Additional findings are as follows:
- The buildings' HVAC systems were not designed to implement the recommendations, leading to challenges that were not found to be associated with any particular characteristic of the school district studied, such as demographics, location, or size.
School district characteristics, such as demographics, location, and size, were not associated with the number of IAQ measures taken, but were associated with the implementation of specific measures, such as increasing outdoor air through HVAC systems and evaluating outdoor air supply.
- American Rescue Plan (ARP) Emergency Aid for Elementary and Secondary Schools (ESSER) funds have been used to support the implementation of IAQ measures rather than operating or capital budget funds.
Just over half of school districts reported feeling access was available to funds to support additional building improvements related to indoor air quality.
Non-urban districts were more likely to rely on state and local guidance, while urban districts were more likely to use federal-level guidance and guidance from major construction industry organizations and associations, such as ASHRAE.
More than a quarter of districts responded that there are no new plans to implement additional ventilation, filtration or other changes to school buildings.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab conducted research for the report compiled from a national survey of public school districts during October-December 2021 to evaluate the implementation of a variety of ventilation, filtration, disinfection and air quality monitoring strategies and was followed by focus group discussions with participants. The full report can be found here.
