Irish Teacher: How are principals supposed to know about HEPA filters? 

Jennifer Horgan wonders why the funding for schools comes without guidelines from experts?

This week’s column is for principals – the thousands of principals out there, left without direct guidance from Norma Foley and the Department of Education.

Earlier this week, €62 million was made available as minor works grant funding for primary, special, and post-primary schools. It looks great on paper, until you dig deeper, and find yourself in a vacuum, asking questions, alongside every principal in the country.

For example, why is the money dated for the academic year 2022-23?

Already, principals worry they’ll be short of money to fix pipes and boilers next year. But more alarmingly, the funding comes without clear, simple guidelines for principals to follow.

Norma Foley states that the money will “enable them (insert exhausted, bleary-eyed principals here) to address both their minor works requirements and also to address small-scale ventilation improvements at school level as a short-term mitigation measure.” The accompanying documentation is really challenging. One line reads: “To compare various units you can calculate the air change rate of cleaning equivalent to the air cleaner’s CADR…” So, schools are receiving money, and little else. The Department will not procure or distribute these filters. Unless a principal happens to be passionate about air quality, and can decipher technical jargon, they’re scrambling in a void.

I imagine all principals wish the department had listened to experts a lot sooner and planned accordingly.

Experts like Dr Orla Hegarty who, at a Joint Committee on Health debate last May, outlined: ‘Buildings are key to suppressing the pandemic. Prevention is about managing people and managing air. Vaccines alone cannot end this.’ Mr. Simon Jones, commercial director of Aereco Limited, also present, said: ‘We need to mobilise professionals and provide signposts and advice for every building owner to access consistent and technically correct information on ventilation.’ Just imagine you’re a principal this week!

You’re still wondering if your school will close early. On top of that, under this grant scheme, your school with 500 students say, will receive €20,000. As you prepare to finish for the holidays, you’re trying to cost these filters, calculating how many you might need for your building: for your students, staff, community.

One principal tells me she got a quotation of €850 for a single device. ‘Is that good?’ her eyes plead. I smile, both of us standing in the windy corridor of her school, in a vortex of unknowing.

Sirus Lead HVAC Design Engineer, Michele Cerretani with over 20 years’ experience in the sector tells me, “For HEPA filters to be effective, and they can be, a substantial proportion of room air must also pass through the air cleaner, so positioning and airflow performances are crucial.” “Prices start at €400 for basic units and can go up to €1,700 for commercial/medical grade options. Some units can be controlled by apps or remotes, and even display Temp, Humidity, VOC, PM values. These can be useful. Where possible principals should seek advice from qualified, experienced HVAC engineers.” Given the urgency, one wonders if that will be possible.

Cerretani adds that filters need regular maintenance. “Seek an indication of expected operating hours. The cost of filters, maintenance and energy consumption should also be considered. Place the filtration device as close to people as possible, table-top height if possible - central, if possible.” 

It seems HEPA air purifiers, cannot completely replace fresh air ventilation - they recirculate the same air and don’t introduce oxygen or remove CO2 from the room. It’s likely then, that come January, even with new filters, teachers should still check their CO2 monitors, and windows should still be opened and closed accordingly. This area is also unregulated, and principals should avoid other systems that claim to clean air using ozone, ionisers and other electronics. Basic HEPA or Merv 13 filters are best.

This is information I have gathered from chatting to Cerretani and other experts in the field. Principals are having the same conversations online, across emails, over the phone. They want to do their best for their communities, but that task has been made difficult.

Dr Orla Hegarty today reminds us that we are in a crisis. Presumably, we need to act accordingly. Schools need these filters, and they need them now. She references recent statistics online, shocking statistics, that 19,601 children had positive PCR test in the last 14 days. That means at least one in 50 children is infectious.

The lack of general guidance for this new wave is startling, especially for our principals. Hepa filters are one necessary part of a continuous line of defence against infection.

It’s regrettable that principals have been asked to stand front and centre, without any significant support from above.