Hello ,

I know you care about the safety of students, teachers and faculty as much as I do. That’s why I’m reaching out to you today. As we reopen schools, we need to take serious precautions to protect everyone on campus. I understand there are plans in place to safely reopen classes and address protocols for social distancing, handwashing and other measures. However, I recently learned that indoor air hygiene is also critical to reducing the risk of spreading the virus and want to share some ways that we can create a learning environment that has safer, healthier air.

First, if we want to kill contaminants in the air, we need to look into portable, cost-effective industrial-strength air scrubbers that remove 99.99% of aerosols carrying viruses.* Not the air purifiers found in homes. Instead, the kind of air scrubbers used in NASA laboratories. Many schools around the country are using these as they prepare to re-open. They’re small and on wheels, so they’re easy to move around. And they are proven and available, so we could get them now.

Second, we need to ensure our air filters have a rating of MERV 13 or higher for maximum effectiveness in killing pathogens. This is a quick and easy way to ensure pathogens are removed from the air. And I have read where increasing ventilation to bring in fresh, clean outside air in our classrooms can help to flush out recirculated air.

You can learn more about these and other best practices here. I appreciate you taking the time to consider these critical measures. I know that together we can take the necessary steps to keep everyone healthy and happy as we return to the classroom.

Thank you,

*Laboratory testing demonstrated 99.99% reduction of aerosols carrying MS2. Copies of the full test reports are available upon request.