THUNDER BAY— The Lakehead District School Board is making significant investments to improve ventilation in its schools by this fall when students return to class.
The board commissioned an external review of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in all its schools to ensure they're operating to specifications.
A spokesperson says that over the summer, maintenance staff will work with automation consultants to reprogram equipment as required and ensure the maximum amount of fresh air is getting into the buildings.
Superintendent of Business Kirsti Alaksa said staff have already done a lot of ductwork cleaning and disinfecting, and have upgraded all HVAC filters to high-efficiency pleated units.
In addition, the board has purchased over 230 portable HEPA filtration units that can be moved into classrooms or workspaces as needed.
Alaksa said "We've gone through all our sites and we've taken a look at what the air circulation is. All the schools are operating as designed but of course they are all different ages. What we are going to be doing is ensuring that the schools that may not have as high a frequency of air circulation will have those HEPA filters."
At three schools, the board is recommissioning automation systems this summer.
Other enhanced safety initiatives include handwashing sinks in classrooms that don't already have them, water bottle filling stations to replace fountains, and additional portable classrooms at numerous sites which will be used when weather permits.
Among major capital projects, Sherbrooke, Whitefish Valley and Kakabeka Falls Public Schools – which are all open-concept schools – will see the installation of walls and new ductwork to establish separate classroom spaces.
New HVAC equipment is going in at Kingsway Park and Crestview schools
Alaksa said some of the work being done this year was already part of the board's capital plan.
Considerable work was also done over the school year that just ended, while students were learning at home.
"Some of this was already being planned, and we've just added on some extra steps in order to ensure we've got better air quality in our schools. Some of these were projects that we were able to specifically apply for and get funding from the ministry of education," Alaksa said.
About $600,000 in provincial funding was granted to support some air quality enhancements such as the HEPA filtration units.
The board also received about $1.8 million for purchases such as the water bottle filing stations and handwashing sinks.
TBNewswatch requested Information about the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board's plans for ventilation upgrades, but has not yet received a response.
Experts have welcomed improvements to school ventilation systems in Ontario.
Jeffrey Siegel is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto, and also holds an appointment at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
"We have systemically neglected our HVAC systems, especially in schools," he told the Ottawa Citizen last fall. "If there is any silver lining to COVID-19, it’s that people are thinking about indoor air."
