We’re partnering with teachers and scientists, like Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding and the Covid Action Group, to push for more federal dollars to help schools quickly implement the short-term projects recommended in the new CDC guidance on ventilation and filtration. And we were featured on national news this week, as more of our youngest students returned to classrooms in Arlington Public Schools.
Spending dollars WISELY could help to end this pandemic. We need to focus on returning children to school buildings and blocking COVID-19 from infecting more people through our schools. We need to follow the science and not waste any money on useless items such as plexiglass cubbies that are linked to INCREASED risk of transmission inside schools, as one recent preprint study by top researchers found.
Then we are clearly going to have more work to do, with as many as 19 APS schools needing significant HVAC upgrades or replacements. Arlington County schools present an array of architecture from the 1920s to 2021 — and as we try to return to full occupancy, about 30% of these classrooms can’t meet code for ventilation.
Read more about what we are asking to be prioritized, in the current rescue bill, and also in the next infrastructure bill:
Letter to Senator Warner from Smart Restart APS
And more from our Partners in Safety — Our Local Educators!
Fairfax Education Association Letter
Arlington Education Association Letter
APS Hear Our Voice Advocacy Group Letter