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Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ECDOH funds air filtration equipment for K-12 schools in Erie County

Submitted

Wed, Jun 1st 2022 12:15 pm

Locally produced units from Austin Air Systems will improve air quality, reduce disease transmission risk for students & school staff

Submitted by the Erie County Department of Health

The Erie County Department of Health has announced that about 10,600 air filtration units have been ordered for every K-12 public and charter classroom in Erie County.

Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein joined Buffalo City School District General Counsel Nathaniel J. Kuzma and Austin Air Systems President Lauren McMillan as Buffalo Public Schools received its shipment of air filter units on Wednesday.

The Office of the County Executive and ECDOH worked closely with school leaders in public and non-public schools throughout Erie County to plan and implement this project. With assistance from the Erie County Department of Public Works, ECDOH collaborated with Austin Air Systems of Buffalo to coordinate the production and delivery of air filtration units for every K-12 classroom in Erie County.

“The COVID-19 pandemic burdened schools and families with incredible challenges and concerns over health and safety,” Poloncarz said. “The path of this pandemic and our response to it have shifted. Equipping our schools with Austin Air Healthmate Air Purifiers will help create a healthier school environment for K-12 students. This investment is a critical component of my back-on-track agenda to help our children recover from the damage caused by the pandemic.”

Burstein added, “Maintaining improved ventilation in public indoor spaces is a core recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no matter what level of COVID-19 transmission a community is experiencing. Staying home when ill, seeking testing as appropriate, wearing a mask as recommended, and getting vaccinated and boosted are other key parts of a comprehensive strategy to keep children and school staff healthy, and learning at school. This initiative will help keep the approximate 130,000 K-12 students and school staff in Erie County healthy by reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne contagions.”

Buffalo City School District Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams said, “The Buffalo Public Schools are elated to be included in Erie County Executive Poloncarz’s initiative to place an air purifier machine in every classroom within Erie County. Air purifier machines increase ventilation and add better filtration. These particular air purifiers are high quality and have a charcoal filter that will remove toxic gases like a car exhaust or bus fumes that may enter a building during arrival and dismissal.”

She continued, “The second stage of the filter unit contains a HEPA filter, which removes up to 99% of all pollen, bacteria and viruses in the air. Ultimately, these air purifier machines will have a positive effect in ensuring proper air treatment of all occupied classrooms, and will help our children breath in clean air. The safety of our entire school community is our top priority!” 

To date, Erie County has invested just under $5.3 million in federal funding for this project, from a grant directed toward COVID-19 mitigation measures within K-12 schools. Each unit cost $500. In addition to BPS, all other school districts and charter schools received their units in May. ECDOH expects air filtration systems to be delivered to private schools during the summer.

 

School District

 

Units Distributed

 

Akron CSD

 

112

 

Alden CSD

 

132

 

Amherst CSD

 

244

 

Buffalo City Schools

 

2,557

 

Cheektowaga CSD

 

179

 

Cheektowaga-Maryvale UFSD

 

265

 

Cheektowaga-Sloan UFSD

 

152

 

Clarence CSD

 

353

 

Cleveland Hill UFSD

 

118

 

Depew UFSD

 

149

 

East Aurora UFSD

 

147

 

Eden CSD

 

134

 

Evans-Brant CSD

 

220

 

Frontier CSD

 

385

 

Grand Island CSD

 

260

 

Hamburg CSD

 

277

 

Holland CSD

 

86

 

Iroquois CSD

 

202

 

Kenmore-Tonawanda UFSD

 

600

 

Lackawanna City Schools

 

162

 

Lancaster CSD

 

510

 

North Collins CSD

 

56

 

Orchard Park CSD

 

488

 

Springville-Griffith Inst CSD

 

138

 

Sweet Home CSD

 

272

 

Tonawanda City School District

 

145

 

West Seneca CSD

 

540

 

Williamsville CSD

 

827

 

 

 

Charter School

 

Units Distributed

 

Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School

 

94

 

Buffalo Collegiate Charter School

 

25

 

Buffalo United Charter School

 

50

 

Charter School of Inquiry

 

27

 

Charter School - Applied Technologies

 

197

 

Elmwood Village Charter School Days Park

 

38

 

Elmwood Village Charter School Hertel

 

21

 

Enterprise Charter School

 

10

 

Global Concepts Charter School

 

80

 

Health Sciences Charter School

 

15

 

Persistence Prep

 

15

 

South Buffalo Charter School

 

52

 

Tapestry Charter School

 

102

 

West Buffalo Charter School

 

43

 

Western NY Maritime Charter School

 

48

 

Westminster Community Charter School

 

46

 

 For more:

√ Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH): www.erie.gov/health

√ Austin Air Systems: https://austinair.com

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