Published on August 17, 2020
On Tuesday, Aug., 11, 2020 the School Board was poised to move forward with a more detailed reopening plan contingent on the updated reports from administrators. Somewhere near the fourth of a five and half-hour meeting, opinions began to shift from voting to approve the administrator's reopening plans to delaying the vote by one week. The cause for pause stemmed from Facilities Director Perry Schwarz' concerns with the three school buildings' older ventilation and HVAC systems.
While the inadequacies of the buildings' ventilation systems were previously reported in the 2019 Cape Elizabeth School Needs Assessment Report, they were discussed in context of the need for renovating and/or replacing the school buildings. The significance of these inadequacies in the age of the COVID-9 pandemic didn't resonate until recent studies began to suggest that the coronavirus can spread through the air on aerosols. Schwarz cited an Aug. 11, 2020 New York Times article which reports that a team of scientists from the University of Florida have isolated "live (corona) virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with COVID-19." Schwarz explained that if the data proves to be accurate, he is concerned that not only will the current guidelines requiring students and staff to maintain a 6-foot distance prove insufficient at mitigating risks, but that risks will be compounded by the buildings' poor ventilation systems.
Within the halls of the first and second floors of the Cape Elizabeth High School, Schwarz announced, there is no ventilation. When the building was built in 1969, ventilation in the hallways and in the nurse's office was not installed. Schwarz reported that within the elementary and middle school hallways ventilation exists, but that it is not adequate for the amount of traffic that passes through the halls. In addition, he is compiling a growing list of rooms that have been repurposed from storage to office space or one-on-one classrooms that do not have ventilation. These spaces would suffice if they are occupied by one person, but not more.
During an earlier meeting on July 28, the School Board voted to approve a preliminary pandemic reopening plan framed by the classification guidelines set forth by the Health Advisory System, which is a collaboration among the Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The Health Advisory System establishes color-coded classifications based on quantitative and qualitative COVID-19 data within Maine counties. In approving this initial plan, the board granted the superintendent and administrators the authorization to continue refining four reopening models categorized by red, yellow, and green. A red model represents 100 percent remote learning; yellow signifies a hybrid model; the first green model allows for 100-percent in-school learning, providing state and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines can be followed; the second green model allows for 100-percent in-school learning with no contingencies. While the administration has been preparing for every model, by the July 28 meeting it was largely anticipated that the yellow model would be followed.
On July 31 the Department of Education posted a media release of Governor Janet Mills' updated guidance for schools to use in determining which reopening model to follow in the fall. Relying on recent data indicating that the risk of COVID-19 is relatively low in Maine, Mills announced that all of Maine's 16 counties could base their school re-opening plans following the "green model" providing they are able meet six requirements for safely opening schools in the fall. The six requirements are:
- Symptom screenings before coming to schools.
- Physical distancing within school facilities.
- Wearing face coverings.
- Practicing proper hand hygiene.
- Wearing personal protective equipment when in close proximity to students.
- Remaining isolated at home if sick until meeting criteria to return to school.
Given that many schools throughout the state will have difficulty meeting all six requirements and will ultimately make their decisions based on their unique circumstances, Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin was quoted in the release:
"While I 'm grateful to know that our state continues to be relatively safe due to the vigilance of Maine people, this risk evaluation is intended to be, and should be, just one of several variables that local school districts take into consideration as they make decisions that are best for their communities. We anticipate that in many cases schools in low risk areas will open this fall using a hybrid learning model in order to best protect the health and safety of their students and provide them with the most effective education possible."
Schwarz pointed out that outside of these six requirements, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has not provided any parameters for school administrators to use in assessing the sufficiency of their buildings' ventilation systems. Current standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' Epidemic Task Forcerecommend using filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 where equipment allows. MERV is a measure used to describe the efficiency with which filters remove particles of a specified size from an air stream. The higher the MERV number, the better the efficiency of removing smaller particles. Schwarz explained that equipment within the schools cannot exceed a MERV 8 filters.
Schwarz explained that Cape Elizabeth schools, like many schools across the country, are subject to the limitations of older buildings. Many of the neighboring schools, however, have been recently updated or rebuilt. When asked by a School Board member if there was any way to improve the ventilation systems within the school buildings, Schwarz answered that it would require a full-scale renovation not possible to conduct while the buildings are occupied.
While all the School Board members indicated that they desired to make a determination on which model to follow as soon as possible, most did not feel prepared to take a vote given the new information they received from Schwarz. As a result, the School Board voted to table the remainder of the agenda until Tuesday, Aug 18, at which point more data and outside-assessment can be provided.