(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Aaron Hall)(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Aaron Hall)
Sarnia

Catholic school board clearing the air during pandemic

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board is making improvements to help students breathe a little easier, especially during the pandemic.

Director of Education Deb Crawford said the board has completed upgrades to air filtration at all of its schools, and equipment is being inspected monthly.

She said the education ministry provided $227,000 in August to support healthy and safe learning and teaching environments.

"COVID has really made people aware of the need for fresh air in classrooms," said Crawford. "We've upped the amount of fresh air that's coming in through our HVAC systems as well, so we've been listening to the science on this. We've always been very conscious of air quality and we have been working with a mechanical consulting firm for a number of years now."

Crawford said they've also purchased 60 portable air conditioners with HEPA filters for classrooms that don't have HVAC equipment.

The province announced the second phase of Safe Return to Class Funding at the beginning of February, which includes an additional $227,000 for Optimizing Air Quality in Schools and Ventilation.

Crawford said a plan for use of the additional funding has been submitted to the ministry.

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