The pandemic has made air filtration more important than ever, and lawmakers in the Maryland House of Delegates have begun considering a bill that would force public schools statewide to test air quality in classrooms routinely every school year.
A hearing on the legislation is scheduled for Friday in the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
“This is really about making sure that the air quality that our students breathe and our educators breathe is the best that it can be,” said Del. Jared Solomon, the bill’s sponsor.
Similar to laws already on the books for monitoring lead in school drinking water, the bill would require schools to test carbon dioxide levels in classrooms at least two times each school year — once during the cooling season and once during the heating season.
The program would be led by the Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland State Department of Education.
“This is an issue that obviously is much more front and center now that we’re facing COVID,” Solomon said. “We’re trying to figure out the best ways to keep our students and educators safe.”
It would require each county board of education across Maryland to develop a policy and implementation plan.
If a classroom showed an elevated carbon dioxide reading, the school would need to notify the school community of the test results and planned remediation measures.
Temporary measures could include adding exhaust fans or additional air filters or limiting the number of people in the classroom.
Ultimately, more permanent measures would be required, including “replacing or repairing the mechanical ventilation systems or adding additional mechanical ventilation systems to the classroom,” according to the bill.
It has support from Monifa McKnight, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.
“This a very important topic that we’ve been discussing since our community has been impacted by COVID-19,” McKnight said. “Ensuring that our students and staff have access to clean, well-ventilated air in schools has to be an essential element of our plan.”
