As a life-long educator and future superintendent, I have witnessed a multitude of physical buildings that house the American school child. Some of them are new buildings with beautiful architecture, while others have been 100-year old small rural schools. Public schools are a source of allergens, germs and environmental nuances that affect the quality of the child’s daily life. This year, the main threat to many schools was the MRSA virus. With some schools closing down and others experiencing declining attendance due to this particular disease alone, valuable attendance dollars were dwindled down. With the school budget being one of the main concerns of many superintendents, when the attendance is down, so is the budget.

I worked in one 100-year old school house. What a charming place that was! I thought it was “Little House on the Prairie” as I romanticized the entire experience. But…what was lurking in the walls besides all the dust??? Mold…yes…you don’t make it to 100 without getting a little water damage here and there. Part of the school was condemned, yet, one would have to walk through the condemned area on a daily basis to retrieve daily mailbox messages and also, the teacher’s workroom was there. Fortunately, they did get a new school; so that was taken care of….or was it?

New schools and the building supplies that are used to build them emit mega doses of contaminants. Now we have “Sick Building Syndrome” which Wikipedia describes ….”as flaws in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Other causes have been attributed to contaminants produced by outgassing of some types of building materials, volatile organic compounds,molds   (molds again???) improper exhaust ventilation of light industrial chemicals used within, or fresh-air intake location / lack of adequate air filtration (see Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value). ” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome). How are the children suppose to handle the contaminates at a new school?

Traditionally, the overhead lights are enough to distract even normal school children with the ongoing flickering, buzzing and vibrations. Many autistic children are not able to be in classrooms and moms may keep them home knowing that the buzzing sets off their child. This lighting may influence seizure and tic disorders. ADHD children are distracted by the frequencies, too. Our children, as a whole, are becoming highly sensitized to many conditions that perhaps fifty years ago would not bother a child. Schools need to address the needs of all children and with the fact that this is becoming so common, we need to do what is in the best interest for all children and provide the proper type of lighting that does not cause adverse reactions.

I don’t know about you, but when I walk into a room, I notice how clean it is. When I look at the walls and see stains and marks and then look at the floor and a layer of dirt on the baseboard, I think dirt, plain and simple. You have no idea how many substitute teaching jobs I walked into and observed filth on a regular basis. Children breathe the dust and overall, it sets a very bad example.

So what are public schools suppose to do to deal with this health threat? With No Child Left Behind and the English Language Learner demands, school districts are at a premium to make their own budgets without the additional expenses of dealing with many of these issues. Obvious dirty classrooms or facilities are the responsibility of the building administrator. The child has a right to be educated in a safe environment, so yes, we must focus on the health of the school building to ensure the health of our children. There are air purifiers that would possibly be the answer to some of the problems. Buying the right air purifier for the school could be explored. Some air purifiers are built to kill germs, mold, viruses and bacteria, besides filtering dust, and pollens. Purchasing several purification systems would only pay for themselves in the long run with the money a school or business (even hospitals) would save on illnesses or closures due to MRSA or other diseases. There are proven laboratory studies to back the germ killing claims with certain brands.

High stakes tests would likewise benefit from a clean air test sitting. Who knows, test scores may rise because children are not sneezing from the allergens of dust mites or pollen in the classroom and are able to concentrate fully on the exam.

Finding money in the budget will be the most difficult part of the equation. With that being said, I am realistic enough to know that this is not going to be a major concern for the school board’s agenda. I think it may take parent groups to get together and brainstorm what they can best do to raise money to purchase the air purifiers.

Good luck with your project of having a “SAFE AND HEALTHY SCHOOL”.

Diane Siers

School administrator and future superintendent

d.siers@yahoo.com

If you are looking to buy a new home air purifier, check our tips that will help you make an informed decision.
Air purifiers have become an essential component in many households today. Home air purifiers filter out allergy-provoking substances, such as dust mites, chemical and organic odors, pet dander and plant pollen. These devices are especially good when a person has a suppressed immune system and is more susceptible to infections. It’s a proven fact that home air purifiers help in such medical conditions as allergy, asthma, and hay fever.
A home air purifier draws in air, filters out the dust, pollen, bacteria and scent molecules, and then emits the clean scentless air into the room. The air would not be completely pure and sanitized, but it would contain significantly less dust particles and allergens.
There are several types of filters used in home air purifiers. Filters with added activated carbon – similar to the one used to treat food poisoning – serve as pre-filter, which captures large particles. Then, HEPA filter absorbs small particles. Some purifiers add a natural organic filter that neutralizes volatile compounds from household chemicals or smoke.
Less common filter types used in home air purifiers are electrostatic or ion filters that attract particles by static electricity and therefore can create unnecessary electric tension in the household. Hybrid purifiers employ more than one particle-collecting method. The fairly new method used in home air purifiers is ozone filter that filters the air and purifies it with ozone. However, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that ozone generators can be harmful to people affected by asthma. Many experts think that ozone is generally ineffective against air pollution.
HEPA-certified filters are most common in home air purifiers. The next generation of filters is ULPA (ultra-HEPA) filters that remove close to 100% of particles. Uncertified HEPA-like filters have proved to be less effective.
All homes and offices have different air conditions which depend on the age of the building, materials used in the construction, and a number of plants nearby. That’s why is impossible to predict the effect of home air purifier on the overall air quality. In general, dust and pollen particles are usually filtered, at least as much as tobacco-smoke particles.
When choosing an air purifier, look at the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). This rate indicates how many cubic feet of air is cleared of airborne particle. Smoke is considered a smallest particle, dust is medium and pollen is the largest one. The higher the CADR rating, the less time your new air purifier needs to remove particles from the room.
Even though air purifiers can become a holy grail for many allergy sufferers, experts suggest that no one should rely only on air purifiers while trying to keep the air at home healthy and clean. The best strategy to achieving breathable air in your home would be to use an air purifier along with natural window ventilation.

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