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Monday, July 20, 2020

NANCY BAILEY: Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!

Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!

Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!




For years this country has ignored school infrastructure due to attempts to privatize public education. This includes indoor air quality (IAQ). It has been a part of the overall disinvestment in America’s public schools.
We’re told by the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and others, that schools should ensure clean air during Covid-19. There’s a disconnect between those who talk about coronavirus safety who work outside of schools and those who work in schools. Those writing these recommendations, no matter how well-meaning, don’t understand the reality school officials and teachers face.
They don’t seem to remember that bad air quality leading to asthma and allergies has been a longtime problem for children in school. It has been the source of learning difficulties. It’s hard to learn to read when you don’t feel well.
Why didn’t the leaders of the richest nation in the world improve the air quality in public schools before the coronavirus?
Remember when Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said not to invest in buildings? 
She said:
If we really want to help students, then we need to focus everything about education CONTINUE READING: Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!