Ashley Wilson was concerned about carbon monoxide at her son’s elementary school, so she advocated for detectors to be installed in Appleton schools a mother’s worry
Ashley Wilson couldn’t shake the worry of her son getting carbon monoxide poisoning at school. It may not be the first concern that comes to mind when a parent thinks about their child at school, but for Wilson, the worry was warranted. In February 2020, her family suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after the boiler in their former apartment was leaking. There was no detector installed to indicate the presence of the colorless, odorless, potentially deadly, gas.
She would try to reassure herself that the schools were safe but decided she needed to reach out after she heard news about 17 people being sent to the hospital after carbon monoxide levels reached dangerously high levels in a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dorm.
To Wilson’s surprise, the Appleton Area School District told her there aren’t detectors in any of the school buildings.
State law doesn’t require them in schools, but it does require them on every level of Wisconsin homes. According to the state Department of Health Services, carbon monoxide poisoning sends about 500 Wisconsinites to the emergency room each year.
Wilson, knowing the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning firsthand, was disappointed in the response she received and decided to advocate for detectors in schools. She continued communicating with district administrators explaining why she was concerned and why she thought they should be added.
Because of those conversations, the district has said it will add carbon monoxide detectors to its buildings before school starts again in the fall.
There are existing maintenance procedures in place to check that no harmful gasses are leaking, said Mark Hansel, director of facilities and operations for the district, so the detectors will add just another safety net.
“It’ll provide another layer of protection,” Hansel said.
Carbon monoxide can come from common heating sources such as furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves and fireplaces. It can cause significant health issues including death when inhaled in high concentrations for long periods of time.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends having carbon monoxide detectors on every level of a home and outside sleeping areas. Detectors can range in price, but many home improvement stores sell them for about $20 to $40. There are also combined smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Outside of there being no legal requirement, Hansel said the district hasn’t had detectors because there are practices in place to regularly check.
In colder months when the equipment is turned on again to keep schools warm, Hansel said there are checks at least twice a week, sometimes more, to make sure nothing harmful is getting into the air and that everything is operating efficiently.
Historically, Hansel said, the district hasn’t had any issues with carbon monoxide, which he calls a testament to the maintenance protocols. If those regular checks weren’t happening, carbon monoxide detectors may be more of a necessity than an extra layer of protection.
Many of the details for installing the detectors aren’t finalized, but Hansel said the plan is for them to be installed in all schools before classes resume in the fall. They will most likely be paid for using the maintenance department’s operating budget.
“I immediately felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about my child, his classmates or his teachers being inside the school without a CO detector in place,” Wilson said, when asked about her reaction to the decision to add detectors.
She also said she felt proud that her inquiry resulted in the change. She intends to contact other area school districts “to see if they will follow in AASD’s footsteps.”
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.