While there are many safety factors to consider, creating and maintaining a clean indoor environment is essential for schools offering some level of in-person learning. As a national provider of support services, including custodial and campus services, operations and maintenance, and grounds management, our teams at SSC Service Solutions have first-hand experience tackling these problems and have key learnings to help inform best practices for schools looking to improve and maintain indoor air quality.

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Ensure current systems are operating properly.

At the surface this may seem like a no-brainer, but it is important to take time to ensure your school’s air and safety systems are operating correctly and efficiently. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has an informational list of steps that can help provide guidance and ensure proper top air quality standards. These include:

Increase outdoor air ventilation
Disable demand controlled ventilation within the building
Open minimal outdoor air dampers
Improve central air filtration to MERV-13
Keep systems running over more hours
Consider portable air cleaners with HEPA filters for rooms
Consider UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation)

By following these recommendations, school administrations can identify what is and isn’t working with current indoor air quality strategies before committing to an upgrade. Regularly evaluating systems helps find inefficiencies and blind spots that would otherwise go unnoticed.

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Be mindful of cost

With district budgets already feeling the sting from COVID-19, deciding where to invest in indoor air quality can be a challenge. In Iowa, school districts reported spending a combined $26 million on unexpected COVID-19 related expenses, including new technology, PPE and cleaning supplies. This does not leave room for the expenses associated with installing new air systems within a school district.

Ensure current systems are operating properly.

Be mindful of cost

Instant Insights /

3 ways schools can improve and maintain indoor air quality

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