With Controversy Surrounding Mask Requirements, Schools Continue to Invest in Air Purification
As students across the country return to school this week, keeping track of which states are requiring students and teachers to mask up has become exhausting. Some states, like Connecticut and Virginia, have declared that everyone will be wearing masks in school this fall. Some states, like Alabama, are leaving the decision up to each school district while states like South Carolina have barred schools from using funds to require masks, leaving the decision up to the parents.
The approach taken by each school is based on numerous factors meaning any conclusion will be met with dissatisfaction from one side or the other. We know people stay healthier when wearing masks, but with all the emotional and political connotations masks seem to carry, some states and school districts would rather not be the ones left to decide.
This is being met with some pushback from teachers and parents. Multiple school districts in Texas, including ones that encompass cities such as Austin and Houston, have said they will ignore the Governor’s ban on school mask mandates. These districts have enacted their own mask mandates and some have gone as far as to sue the Governor.
BOX Pure Air is working to represent a constant in a time of uncertainty. The beauty of using clean air technology to remove airborne pathogens and therefore reduce the spread of viruses like COVID-19 is that hardly anyone will know it’s happening. Making hardly any noise and in no way interfering with classroom learning, air purifiers provide protection for all without the headache.
New York and Philadelphia Public School Systems have already purchased and equipped every classroom with air purifiers in anticipation of students returning to the classroom. Policing masks is hard but monitoring air quality and ensuring students are breathing clean air is easy thanks to technology like Smart Fleet Management.
As stressful and confusing as these next two months will be for educators, parents, and students alike, the least schools can do is help them breathe a little easier with clean air.