HARTFORD, CONN (WTIC Radio)-A group pushing higher air quality standards in schools is pressing the legislature to maintain funding, inspections and environmental assessments.
The legislative working group said 930 schools need better HVAC.
Lawmakers have approved $450 millions for HVAC upgrades. So far $56 million
has been distributed. More grants are anticipated in the coming weeks.
“Students, teachers, and staff should never worry about exposure to unsafe air at school,” said Rep.
Jennifer Leeper, House Chair of the School IAQ Working Group. “Connecticut has made
significant strides over the past couple of years in ensuring that schools have clean air, and I’m
encouraged by the state’s financial commitment to this essential cause through the grants for
indoor air quality. While we have made progress, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure
every school is a safe learning and teaching environment, which is why we will be continuing our
working group and commitment to additional funding assistance for our districts to achieve this.”
“It was just a few years ago that the legislature toughened our decade-old indoor air quality laws to
require more frequent testing and more stringent testing,” added Senate Chair of the School IAQ
Working Group Julie Kushner. “That’s needed because we’ve got some old schools with old HVAC
systems in this state, and we’ve got some schools with ongoing air quality issues. These IAQ grants
create jobs, help kids and teachers, and can result in better academic performance. At a time when
we are weighing every tax dollar, these investments are not only wise, in many cases they are
absolutely essential to public health.”
“Connecticut is setting the bar for air quality in our public schools,” said CEA President Kate Dias.
“It’s critical that we set that bar high and hold ourselves to account. Hundreds of school buildings in
our state are grappling with mold and respiratory illness. Any teacher can tell you about a time
when there was insufficient heat or AC in their classrooms, making it difficult for students to learn
and grow. It’s not enough to simply ‘clear the air’ on school air quality. We know it affects our
students’ health and impacts their grades. It’s time to put our money where our mouth is. It’s time
we prioritize true health equity for students and teachers. Students and teachers spend anywhere
from 8 to 10 hours per day in school, and state and local governments have a responsibility to
ensure we are not being exposed or jeopardizing our health just by showing up.”