Winnipeg School Division - COVID-19 is Airborne - Demand Safer Shared Air in our K-12 Schools!

Email the Trustees and Superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division to demand higher level ventilation upgrades, and other multi-layered protections against COVID-19 transmission, to keep our children, staff, families and communities safe in the upcoming school year.

Our provincial government has recently mandated masks (for all students, staff and visitors) and COVID-19 vaccinations (or frequent testing) for all school staff in K-12 schools for September 2021.

But more is still needed. Other essential safety measures including ventilation upgrades and portable HEPA air filtration units in classrooms are also required. As the Winnipeg School Division's plan on its website notes, the "majority of WSD schools have perimeter radiation for heating within the classrooms... independent of the ventilation system". Therefore, the steps that the WSD are currently taking to optimize existing ventilation systems are still insufficient.

In the face of the delta variant and the emerging 4th wave, we need quick and decisive leadership from the Winnipeg School Division.

Thank you for taking action to support a safe plan for all K-12 students and their families in Manitoba.

For information, contact Safe September MB at: safeseptembermb@gmail.com

Safe September MB is a non-partisan group of parents, teachers, and community members who are concerned about the Manitoba provincial government’s plan to reopen schools with inadequate safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Chris Broughton (WSD Trustee, Ward 2)

Jamie Dumont (WSD Trustee, Ward 1)

Cindy Murdoch (WSD Trustee, Ward 5)

Jennifer Chen (WSD Trustee, Ward 6)

Arlene Reid (WSD Trustee, Ward 7)

Betty Edel (WSD School Trustee, Ward 8)

Linda Schatkowsky (WSD School Trustee, Ward 9)

Pauline Clarke (Chief Superintendent of Schools, Winnipeg School Division)

Dear [recipient position will go here] [recipient name will go here],

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It is now widely acknowledged by scientific experts that COVID-19 is airborne. Safer shared air is key to preventing its spread, especially in congregate settings like schools. I am writing to demand that the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) implement further safety measures to promote safer shared air in our K-12 schools for the 2021/2022 year.

Children’s health experts repeatedly assert that schools are the best places for children to learn, but only if multiple and layered COVID-19 safety measures are in place. The WSD, after hearing from concerned families and other community members, has chosen to implement only SOME of these measures. The division’s current plan does not do enough to ensure safer shared air in our schools.

In addition to what the WSD has already committed to, our schools need the following critical safety measures:

1) CO2 monitoring. CO2 levels should be regularly monitored in every classroom and indoor learning space with the goal of less than 700 ppm. Strategies on how to immediately lower CO2 levels that are greater than 700 ppm are required. This should include having students vacate the space for a period of time when CO2 levels are too high, along with other measures. Given the risks to student and staff health, schools must report CO2 levels publicly.

2) Portable High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter units in all learning spaces. Ample scientific evidence demonstrates that these air filter units are very effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.  As the WSD's plan on its website notes, the "majority of WSD schools have perimeter radiation for heating within the classrooms... independent of the ventilation system", the steps that the WSD are currently taking to optimize existing ventilation systems are insufficient.

Where existing ventilation systems are unable to maintain safe CO2 levels, portable HEPA filters can be effective in removing infectious particles from the air. Ontario and Newfoundland/Labrador are installing portable HEPA units in their classrooms. WSD must provide resources for the purchase of portable HEPA filter units, or alternatively, allow others to do so. Support parent groups, teachers, community members, and businesses that wish to fundraise for or donate new portable HEPA filtration units for classrooms. Allow donations through the Children’s Heritage Fund to support HEPA filtration unit purchases for schools.

3) Mandatory masking is essential. However, students must wear high-quality, well-fitting masks at all times while indoors to significantly reduce the transmission of aerosols carrying the COVID-19 virus. WSD must provide high-quality, well-fitting masks to ensure safer shared air.

4) Require students aged 12 and over (who are medically able) to be fully vaccinated to access in-person learning. Mandatory vaccinations of staff and school visitors are important, but this doesn’t go far enough to promote safer schools.

5) Small cohort sizes. Cohorts of more than one class are too large to prevent the spread of the virus. Cohorts should apply to all students until evidence clearly demonstrates they are not required to prevent transmission and aid in contact tracing.

6) Small class sizes. Smaller class sizes are key to ensuring safer shared air. While the ideal number of students will vary according to classroom and ventilation system, fewer people sharing air means safer shared air. Safe class size should be determined and demonstrated by the ability to maintain CO2 levels lower than 700 ppm in every classroom and learning environment.

7) Remote learning options for students who are not yet eligible for vaccination if their families want it. Many families can keep their children home to learn, thus freeing up physical classroom space to promote smaller class sizes. Medical documentation should not be required as a condition of access to public education for families who can and choose to have their children learn at home during the pandemic.

8) All eating and mask breaks increase risk of transmission. Mask breaks should be short, scheduled, and located outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces. The WSD must provide schools with ways to achieve this (for example, large tents for outdoor classrooms).

9) Regular rapid testing for all staff and students for COVID-19 in all K-12 schools, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.

10) Proactive emergency preparedness planning for when to move classes or entire schools to remote learning, even if the province has not yet acted. The decision of when to go remote must take into account the more infectious delta variant in the calculations of the risk of transmission.

11) Physical distancing (1 to 2 metres) for all students and school staff. Physical distancing is clearly not a replacement for any of the above measures, as it is now well-documented that aerosols play a leading role in COVID-19 transmission.

These multiple, layered safety measures work together to promote safer shared air, protect children, and prevent the spread of the virus while they learn. These necessary measures also decrease the risk of schools becoming drivers of community spread during the upcoming school year.

The Winnipeg School Division must do more than hope for the best this school year, especially given the high transmissibility of the delta variant and the fact that students under 12 are not yet able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Every one of these measures must be put in place because they work together to ensure safe and equitable access to publicly-funded education for our children.

Give Winnipeg School Division students the safest shared air possible! Commit to implementing all of these essential COVID-19 safety measures immediately to ensure a safe school year!

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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