Hamilton school boards ‘on track’ to deploy hundreds of HEPA filters to classrooms
Hamilton school boards say they are in the process of deploying HEPA filters to all kindergarten classrooms and other spaces without mechanical ventilation.
We are on track to have HEPA units in all classrooms in the schools that are not mechanically ventilated," said Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board chair Dawn Danko.
At the public board, 20 per cent of schools are without mechanical ventilation. The Catholic board says a small number of schools" fit that description.
Schools without mechanical ventilation use exhaust fans, which draw air out of a building, but don't have air intake, which push outdoor air into a space. This would include schools heated by radiators, as opposed to forced air.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced earlier this month $25 million in funding for improved ventilation for Ontario schools. In April, Hamilton school boards received $27.8 million for infrastructure upgrades, including ventilation.
All full-day kindergarten classrooms - where students will not wear masks - at Hamilton school boards will have HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters regardless of school mechanical system.
At the public board, 270 kindergarten classrooms will receive filters.
The Ministry of Education supplied the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board with 283 HEPA filters, which will be used in kindergarten and other classrooms. Another 800 filters purchased by the board were placed in schools and other areas where the ventilation systems needed updating" throughout the 2020-21 school year, said chair Pat Daly.
Both boards have ongoing projects underway, including ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) - a means of disinfection that can prevent infectious diseases - of duct systems, as well as the installation of rooftop and classroom ventilators.
At the public board, 30 schools will receive ventilation upgrades, and work will continue throughout the fall.
Classroom ventilation units are being installed class-by-class and there will be a need to relocate when units are installed," said HWDSB spokesperson Shawn McKillop in an email to The Spectator.
Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com