Has air ventilation in schools improved?

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”Does Broward County Schools have plans to improve the ventilation systems in schools? I think parents should be informed of any plans and be able to make sure that these plans conform with the latest scientific recommendations.” — Dee

Ventilation and air quality in schools have come to the forefront during COVID-19 as we have learned more and more about how the virus spreads through coughs, sneezes and droplets as we talk. Masks, worn by all kids and staff at schools, help prevent this spread, but some particles seep out and need to get swept up by ventilation systems to keep us safe.

Broward schools say they are closely monitoring schools’ air quality. Most of the district’s air-conditioning units are large enough to accommodate MERV 13 filters. The MERV rating system measures a filter’s power to capture particles in the air; the higher the rating, the smaller the particles, including bacteria and viruses, the filter is able to trap.

“For those units too small to accommodate the MERV 13 filters, filters with either one- or two-inch thickness and rated either MERV 8 or 9 (depending on size) are utilized,” the district’s communications office said. “Please note that filters are changed periodically by our on-site custodial staff in the following frequency: one-inch filters are changed monthly, two-inch filters are changed every three months, and four-inch filters are changed every six months. This practice is identified in the District’s custodial manual and has been in place since October

2020.”

It’s hard to know whether to credit these filters or masks or something else for the low rate of COVID19 spread in our schools, but I’m glad the school district is paying attention to the quality of the air, which should always be a concern, virus or no virus.

”Even as more people and eventually kids will be vaccinated, I still do not feel safe sending my child back to the actual school building for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year in August. I know that I am not the only parent of a middle school student that is concerned about this situation. Will there be an option in MiamiDade County for middle school online or will I be forced to enroll my child at Florida Virtual School?” — P. Mimapeg

Whether schools will continue to offer online learning next year is on so many parents’ minds, but Miami-Dade schools say they’re not ready to tackle the issue yet.

“The plans for next school year have not been ironed out but we will of course take into account parents’ concerns,” spokeswoman Jackie Calzadilla said.

There will be so many factors for school districts to consider. South Florida parents have made it clear they don’t feel safe having their kids in school buildings during COVID-19. So will they feel any safer next year?

How widespread will COVID be by then? Which age groups of kids will be able to get vaccinated?

And think about all the technological know-how teachers have gained this year by teaching both in-person and online from their classrooms.

Will they have to throw it all out when their students come back for traditional learning?

“The technology that teachers have learned this year has long-term value beyond the pandemic,” said Justin Katz, president of Palm Beach County’s teachers union. “There will still be students and parents who have a desire for distance learning. We’re opposed to the hybrid model, but we might want to create our own version of Florida Virtual School [where some teachers instruct online only].”

Then again, it’s up to the state to resolve many of these questions, said Dan Gohl, Broward schools’ chief academic officer.

“The final decision for next school year rests with the Florida Department of Education,” he said.