To support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention five key strategies for mitigating COVID-19 transmission, we have cleaned tens of thousands of classrooms from top to bottom, installed signs throughout the building to help students socially distance themselves, purchased hand sanitizer stations and millions of reusable cloth face coverings for every student and staff member.
As our public health officials have learned more about COVID-19, and
how proper air ventilation and filtration of classrooms can help reduce transmission and provide an additional layer of protection for our community, the district made the decision to purchase 20,000
Intellipure HEPA air purifiers — enough to provide one for every classroom in the district as well as any staff spaces that does not have mechanical ventilation. These air purifiers will filter over 99.99% of airborne viruses, bacteria, and mold and follow the Harvard School of Medicine’s Healthy Buildings recommendation to install HEPA filters in classrooms.
This $8.5 million dollar investment in air purifiers builds on recent district-wide assessment to ensure every classroom has a working source of clean air to dilute air particles that may have viruses or bacteria, and a vent to allow old air to move out of the classroom. Any classroom that isn’t properly ventilated will be repaired before students and staff can return.
We also hired independent state-certified environmental specialists to test our schools’ indoor air quality. A detailed ventilation and indoor air quality report for your child’s school is available at
cps.edu/airquality.
We will continue to follow our public health officials, and as our understanding of COVID-19 develops, we will provide additional updates on our work to keep you, your family, and our school community safe.
Janice K. Jackson, EdD LaTanya D. McDade
Chief Executive Officer Chief Education Officer
Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools