Embedded Files
Assess design and configuration of the school building and other spaces for adequate airflow, ventilation, and safer movement of people within and between spaces.
5.1 Prioritize ventilation, filtration, supplemental air cleaning, and regularly verifying HVAC system performance
5.1 Prioritize ventilation, filtration, supplemental air cleaning, and regularly verifying HVAC system performance
Likely Implementation Level SCHOOL
Status
Priority Level
NOTE: Update your school's or district's status and priority level in your progress tracker (link at the bottom of the homepage).
Key Recommendations for Consideration*
Key Recommendations for Consideration*
Ventilate with outdoor air as much as possible, even if it requires students to wear jackets in somewhat cold temperatures. Eliminate or minimize air recirculation.
Identify date of last HVAC equipment inspection and schedule inspection if needed.
Inspect HVAC air filters to make sure they are installed and fit correctly and that airflow is maintained across the filter.
Consider opportunities to change air filters to MERV 13 or higher, which are effective in removing SARS-CoV-2.
Supplement HVAC air filtration if possible with portable air cleaners with HEPA filters.
Portable filters are most effective in smaller spaces, and less useful if they do not contain HEPA filters and simply recirculate air.
Close bathroom doors and windows and keep any exhaust fans running at all times.
If no exhaust fans are present or if they are not functional, keep bathroom windows open if this can be done safely.
Use paper towels, rather than air dryers, in the bathroom.
Assess whether bus windows open properly.
Open all bus windows. When there is bad weather, open them a little (2-3 inches).
Keep on all fresh air fans in the bus when running.
Starting Point Tools*
Starting Point Tools*
Parabola Project: School Air Quality Assessment Guide
Schools for Health 5 Step Guide to Checking Ventilation Rates in Classrooms
*Citation: Risk Reduction Strategies for Schools. Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. June 24, 2020. https://schools.forhealth.org
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
Does the school and the district have the funds and personnel to upgrade HVAC air filters and install fans and lids on toilets?
Who will be responsible for ensuring proper ventilation across each school building?
Other Resources
Other Resources
Summary of Literature
Summary of Literature
The virus can be transmitted by airborne particles (Anderson et al. 2020).
Particles may stay suspended in the air for hours, following airflow patterns created by ventilation or climate-control systems (Bourouiba 2020; Liu et al. 2020).
5.2 Identify and vet additional space
5.2 Identify and vet additional space
Likely Implementation Level SCHOOL
Status
Priority Level
NOTE: Update your school's or district's status and priority level in your progress tracker (link at the bottom of the homepage).
Key Recommendations for Consideration
Key Recommendations for Consideration
Assess other rooms and common areas within the school that might be repurposed as classrooms while maintaining separation of cohorts and physical distancing (e.g., cafeterias, libraries, gyms).
Aim to limit cohorts to less than 25 people, inclusive of students and teachers. (See Cohorting and Scheduling for related information.)
If considering placing multiple cohorts in the same large space, consider constructing floor-to-ceiling walls to separate large spaces into fully contained ones. Curtains, mobile whiteboards, and smaller plexiglass dividers are likely not sufficient.
Vet the suitability of other potential indoor and outdoor spaces (see checklist under Starting Point Tools to the right).
Identify potential outdoor space (e.g., sports fields)
Starting Point Tools
Starting Point Tools
Checklist to vet suitability of potential spaces:
Review this informational summary of the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s regulations to ensure the potential space is in compliance.
Assessment questions to vet suitability of additional spaces:
Does the space allow for proper ventilation (e.g., working HVAC system and windows that can be opened)?
Will teachers be able to see and monitor the learning and behavior of all students?
Will necessary learning tools and technology fit in the room (e.g., smart board, white board, Wifi, etc.)?
Are the space’s acoustics conducive to a teacher instructing the whole class? If not, provide equipment like microphones.
Are there appropriate running water and bathroom facilities that accommodate needs?
Can physical distancing (minimum 6 feet for high school aged children, minimum 3 feet for K-8 aged children) be maintained between students / desks in the room? Can the space being vetted hold the number of students necessary for your school’s purposes?
Can access to the space be safely limited to the school community members during school hours?
Can students and staff safely travel to and from the space (e.g., safely walk)?
If outdoor space, can you procure a tent or other covering?
Outdoor learning space infrastructure considerations: This toolkit offers a configuration guide, cost estimate tool, and general guidelines for using space outside.
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
Explore availability of other community facilities that can be used for additional classroom space (e.g., community centers, underused office buildings, places of worship).
Other Resources
Other Resources
Ideas
Ideas
Ideas for Going Deeper
Back to School Facilities Toolkit from Equity by Design. See slides 92-98 for examples of school and classroom layouts. Note, however, that in some places this document references the use of physical dividers (e.g., plexiglass segments) rather than physical distancing. These are not recommended.
5.3 De-densify hallways and bathrooms
5.3 De-densify hallways and bathrooms
Likely Implementation Level SCHOOL
Status
Priority Level
NOTE: Update your school's or district's status and priority level in your progress tracker (link at the bottom of the homepage).
Key Recommendations for Consideration
Key Recommendations for Consideration
Make hallways one-way. Use arrows on the floor and walls to denote the direction of the hallway. Consider ways to decorate the arrows (e.g., bright colors or school colors, include images of cartoon characters or school mascot, etc.).
If hallways cannot be made entirely one-way (e.g., because of dead ends, fire exits, etc.), create lanes on the floor showing which direction to move. Affix corresponding arrows to the floor and walls.
Consider keeping students in one classroom throughout the day, with individual teachers rotating between rooms as needed. If it is not possible to keep students in one classroom, stagger passing time to limit the number of people in the hallway at one time.
Stagger bathroom use and limit the number of students in the bathroom at one time in order to maintain distancing recommendations.
Provide clear instructions for fire and safety drills that maintain distancing and reduce congestion.
Suspend use of lockers and locker rooms (to avoid congregating in hallways).
Identify alternative places for students to keep their belongings (e.g., a box or bag in the classroom).
Starting Point Tools
Starting Point Tools
The Socially Distanced School Day from Education Week includes sample instructional space and building layout.
Note: Strategies for classroom layouts and distance are covered in Principle 9: Density and Distancing.
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection
How will we onboard students and staff on new hallway protocols? Consider orientation handouts and signage in the hallways and bathrooms?
How will our hallway plans be experienced by students of staff with limited mobility and/or cognitive differences? If a school has an elevator, how will we plan for shared utilization?
We recommend no more than one person at a time in the elevator with a mask.
At what level can staggered scheduling take place? Grade level teams?
Page updated
Report abuse