Principal Johnson: Eastern Air Filters Upgraded for In-Person School
By Dermott Foley
By Dermott Foley
Eastern Middle School, built in 1951 and renovated in 1976, is one of the oldest buildings in Montgomery County Public Schools. What does that mean for the air quality during a pandemic where the virus is mostly transmitted through our breathing?
The MCPS facilities department has been inspecting all buildings across the county over the past few months, and assigned ratings indicating the amount of work that has to be done to improve the air.
This is important because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the coronavirus is mostly transmitted by respiratory droplets in the air that can travel up to six feet but can also be in smaller particles called aerosols that can float longer and go farther distances.
When you are outdoors, aerosols are less of a concern because the air is constantly moving and the space is nearly unlimited. But in enclosed places like a classroom, the particles could stay together longer--increasing the risk of infection.
Opening windows is one way some schools can decrease the risk of transmission, but air engineering experts say using special filters in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems is also important. Normal filters cannot pick up particles as small as the coronavirus which is why they need to be upgraded.
The changes in the air systems are just one part of a larger MCPS safety plan to reduce the risk of staff and students catching the coronavirus. MCPS will also require students to social distance six feet or more away, and wear a mask, and it has worked with individual schools to make physical changes to classrooms and hallways to reduce crowding.
Eastern was originally given one diamond, the lowest, in the MCPS rating system, but it was recently changed to two diamonds. The MCPS Department of Facilities Management describes two diamonds as “schools with older systems that can be modified (air cleaners are required to meet new COVID-19 IAQ requirements).” The ventilators and fan coils are typically 10 years or older.
Principal Matt Johnson said the school’s air filtration system will be ready for the planned reopening date of April 6th for our first large group, which would be 6th graders. In the MCPS timetable, 8th graders would return by around April 19th and 7th graders by April 26th.
“We have been cleared to use all our rooms by MCPS Air Quality,” Mr. Johnson said. “All filters have been replaced with more high efficiency ones.”
MCPS is also using air cleaners in some schools. These machines are basically big boxes that can be moved around and that have fans that pull in air, take out particles like viruses through filters, and then push clean air back out. Before the pandemic, they were used a lot at construction sites with dust or chemicals, or in hospitals in infectious disease units. You might have a mini version in your home to clean pollution or allergens.
Mr. Johnson said inspectors found that some areas of the Eastern building needed separate air cleaners to provide additional cleaning. However, Mr Johnson said “it does not look like we will use any of the rooms in question.” And a few classrooms that do not have windows will not be used for the time being.
The MCPS facilities department has been inspecting all buildings across the county over the past few months, and assigned ratings indicating the amount of work that has to be done to improve the air.
This is important because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the coronavirus is mostly transmitted by respiratory droplets in the air that can travel up to six feet but can also be in smaller particles called aerosols that can float longer and go farther distances.
When you are outdoors, aerosols are less of a concern because the air is constantly moving and the space is nearly unlimited. But in enclosed places like a classroom, the particles could stay together longer--increasing the risk of infection.
Opening windows is one way some schools can decrease the risk of transmission, but air engineering experts say using special filters in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems is also important. Normal filters cannot pick up particles as small as the coronavirus which is why they need to be upgraded.
The changes in the air systems are just one part of a larger MCPS safety plan to reduce the risk of staff and students catching the coronavirus. MCPS will also require students to social distance six feet or more away, and wear a mask, and it has worked with individual schools to make physical changes to classrooms and hallways to reduce crowding.
Eastern was originally given one diamond, the lowest, in the MCPS rating system, but it was recently changed to two diamonds. The MCPS Department of Facilities Management describes two diamonds as “schools with older systems that can be modified (air cleaners are required to meet new COVID-19 IAQ requirements).” The ventilators and fan coils are typically 10 years or older.
Principal Matt Johnson said the school’s air filtration system will be ready for the planned reopening date of April 6th for our first large group, which would be 6th graders. In the MCPS timetable, 8th graders would return by around April 19th and 7th graders by April 26th.
“We have been cleared to use all our rooms by MCPS Air Quality,” Mr. Johnson said. “All filters have been replaced with more high efficiency ones.”
MCPS is also using air cleaners in some schools. These machines are basically big boxes that can be moved around and that have fans that pull in air, take out particles like viruses through filters, and then push clean air back out. Before the pandemic, they were used a lot at construction sites with dust or chemicals, or in hospitals in infectious disease units. You might have a mini version in your home to clean pollution or allergens.
Mr. Johnson said inspectors found that some areas of the Eastern building needed separate air cleaners to provide additional cleaning. However, Mr Johnson said “it does not look like we will use any of the rooms in question.” And a few classrooms that do not have windows will not be used for the time being.