Better ventilation in schools could reduce covid risks and boost learning. Why aren’t we doing it? [Baltimore City]

Improving indoor air quality in schools can boost health and academic performance.

May 13, 2022

The first thing you notice walking the halls of Holabird Academy is the windows.

A grid above the entryway floods the main corridor with cool light, and classrooms boast nearly floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding Baltimore neighborhood.

What you won’t notice — what anyone rarely notices in any building — is the air quality.

A state-of-the-art HVAC system hums on the top floor of this gleaming new elementary school, sucking in fresh air that’s run through filters capable of trapping air pollution. Before it reaches classrooms, the air is conditioned and passes through filters fine enough to catch virus-laden particles. Each classroom has a carbon dioxide detector that signals when fresh air is needed, delivering up to eight total air changes per hour...

https://www.grid.news/story/science/2022/05/13/better-ventilation-in-schools-could-reduce-covid-risks-and-boost-learning-why-arent-we-doing-it/