Feb-Mar 2022 Advisor

IMPROVING

10 CEA ADVISOR FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022

ROOM TO BREATHE CEA pushes lawmakers, OSHA for school indoor air quality solutions 20 It started with escalating indoor

will bring stifling heat, forcing school closures and making learning impossible. “Under Connecticut regulations, pet stores are not allowed to have temperatures below 65 or above 78 degrees,” says Dias. “Meanwhile the air quality in our classrooms has reached inhumane levels—with recorded temperatures above 80 or 90 degrees for days in a row, sometimes up in the triple digits. It’s time to act.” Team effort CEA has joined with 15 other labor unions, including AFT Connecticut, to ensure that state and federal officials and regulatory bodies understand the conditions in many schools and provide the funding, guidance, and supports to remedy them. The coalition has reached out to OSHA, the state’s Congressional delegation, and the General Assembly’s Labor Committee and Public Employees Committee and outlined legislation that would • Establish clearly defined school temperature and humidity limits • Ensure school construction bond funds can be used for remediation and installation of HVAC systems • Set standards for inspection, repair, maintenance, and installation by qualified, licensed HVAC contractors In addition to dangerously hot or uncomfortably cold temperatures, CEA over the last four years has documented an acute, sustained increase in the number of educators exposed to environmental toxins. Before the pandemic temporarily closed school buildings in 2020, exposure to mold was worse than in any previous school year. Stamford alone accounted for more than 60 educators suffering from exposure. “The need for updated HVAC systems in schools has never been greater,” says CEA attorney Melanie Kolek, who works on cases involving indoor air quality. “Parents are increasingly relying on schools for summer and extended learning. At the same time, climate change presents hotter and more humid conditions that favor mold, and outdated HVAC systems increase exposure to the risks of airborne illness. As ever, the working conditions in schools are the learning conditions affecting our children.” A look at the data In a CEA survey, 97 percent of teachers said improved ventilation was a top concern. Only 27 percent said improvements were being implemented in their schools. The data being used to push for better air quality can be found not only in CEA’s research and surveys but also in the results of a 2021 survey conducted by the Lamont administration, where one in three school districts reported insufficient funding to start an indoor air quality program, and one in every five lacked any program to even evaluate the air quality in their buildings. “Look at the data,” says Dias, a statistics teacher at Manchester High School. “Our teachers have been telling the story, and the numbers back it up.”

temperatures closing down schools. Intense summer heat and humidity led to mold when buildings reopened in the fall. And now, two years into the pandemic, concerns about air circulation and quality have intensified. “School indoor air quality remains a high priority for teachers,” says CEA President Kate Dias, “and we’re bringing that message not only to the state’s General Assembly, as we have in the past, but also to U.S. lawmakers and federal regulatory agencies. Our students’ and colleagues’ health and success depend on it.” A new CEA-proposed bill would establish mandatory ranges for school indoor temperature and humidity and ensure that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are installed, repaired, and maintained by qualified HVAC workers. See cea.org/cea-top-legislation-action . Click Indoor Air Quality. Campaign heats up “Improving indoor air quality has been a persistent focus for CEA,” Dias says. “We’ve brought our members in to testify before state lawmakers and taken their stories to the media. We’ve piloted and grown a program that tracks temperature and humidity in classrooms across Connecticut— revealing often dangerous levels. In workers’ compensation claims, our legal team has represented teachers whose health has suffered and whose careers have been cut short by mold in schools. And now we’ve formed a powerful coalition of groups demanding that action be taken, because while some districts have made the necessary improvements, others have fallen short on the funding or wherewithal to push those projects through.” Despite CDC warnings that classroom ventilation is key to reducing the spread of COVID, Connecticut schoolchildren are often gathered in poorly ventilated buildings. To add to the problem, some classrooms are so cold this winter that students must bundle up in coats and gloves. Instead of bringing relief, the warmer months

In a January visit to math teacher Stephen Taylor’s classroom at Bridgeport’s Blackham School, BEA President Ana Batista and CEA President Kate Dias stress to Governor Lamont the importance of indoor air quality and other measures for safe, in-person learning. Pictured under the table is a portable air purifying unit.

COVID relief funds CEA communicated closely with members returning to schools during January’s post-holiday COVID surge and staffing crisis, and union leaders urged Governor Ned Lamont to hear members’ stories. Dias, along with CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey and Executive Director Donald Williams invited the governor and media to visit Bridgeport’s Blackham School, which enrolls more than 1,000 preK-8 students. There, the governor got a firsthand look at how teachers are trying to make it work and the help they need.

coordinated push by our unions— CEA and BEA—and our teachers say it’s incredible. You can tell the difference in the classrooms.” BEA 1st Vice President Jeff Morrissey, who teaches English at Harding High School, says, “We had a lot of discussions as a union, and we listened to our members’ concerns. I would tell lawmakers this session to listen to teachers, many of whom are struggling to get something as basic as fresh air into their classrooms.” Though air purifiers are a first step, long-term improvements to HVAC systems will require additional resources. While

the governor at first pushed for municipalities to fund their own improvements, he has since acknowledged that upgrades are not feasible within the constraints of most municipal budgets,

TOP TEACHER CONCERN Improved Ventilation in School Buildings

97 %

say improved ventilation top concern

27 %

say improved ventilation is being implemented

CEA survey

Mirroring the reality in schools throughout the state, some classes had 29 or more students, and teachers who were promised N95 masks and COVID tests were empty-handed. Recent improvements at Blackham were portable air purifiers, President Ana Batista pointed these out to the governor and reporters. “Last fall, Bridgeport spent over $2 million in ESSER funds on improving indoor air quality,” Batista said. “This happened because of a now found in every classroom throughout the district. BEA

especially in light of numerous other costs brought on by the pandemic. The governor has allocated $90 million in his budget for indoor air quality—a good first step—but bonding funds must be increased so that cities and school districts can install, remediate, and maintain modern HVAC systems. Support has been building for the state to pay for ventilation upgrades, and CEA has worked to ensure that support is broad and bipartisan. By keeping the media spotlight on the issues and working with other stakeholders—including the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities—the state’s largest teachers’ union has pushed not only for improved indoor air quality but also state bond funding to pay for it. “Schools are facing critical staff and substitute shortages, intensifying social and emotional needs among students, the consequences of pandemic- disrupted learning, and more,” says Dias, “and cash-strapped cities and towns should not be forced to decide between one critical need and another.” She asks, “Do we need clean, healthy air in our classrooms? Well-staffed, well-resourced schools? Well-supported students? The answer is yes. This is not a game of ‘Would You Rather.’ It’s a moral obligation.”

DOUBLE STANDARD?

100 105

Actual recorded temperatures in some Connecticut classrooms

80 75 70 65 85 90 95

Minimum and maximum temperatures allowed in pet stores

BEA 1st Vice President Jeff Morrissey with an air purifier,

now found in all Bridgeport classrooms.