Contact your Trustee

SAMPLE LETTER Dear [Trustee Name], My name is [Your name] and I'm a [parent/caregiver] [with a child/with children] at [School name] at [School Board name]. I'm writing to you today to discuss the need to improve indoor air quality in the schools and school buses at [School Board]. With last year’s tripledemic of COVID-19, RSV and Influenza and the hazardous wildfire smoke blanketing much of the province earlier this summer, it's never been more important to ensure that the air inside our schools is healthy and safe for our children. My child[ren] missed a lot of school last year due to illnesses and frankly I’m concerned that we are headed for a similarly disruptive school year. I have read that many respiratory illnesses such as RSV, Influenza, COVID-19, measles, etc. can be transmitted person-to-person by aerosols which can be suspended in a poorly ventilated room for hours, much like smoke. To combat this and to keep kids and teachers healthy, schools need to improve ventilation, add filtration such as HEPA filters, encourage families to keep students home if unwell and, assuming the outdoor air is healthy, set up as many activities as possible to take place outdoors. Can you please share what has been done so far to improve the air quality in the schools at [School Board]? Can you please tell me what is being done during school assemblies, gym classes and in libraries, cafeterias and lunch rooms and on school buses to help improve indoor air quality and reduce the transmission of viruses? With the recent wildfire smoke engulfing much of the province earlier this summer, I think it’s become even more important to ensure that the indoor air in schools is the best it can be, especially since opening a window will not be possible during days with high levels of smoke in the air. Can you tell me if there is a policy for how the school board is ensuring the indoor air quality is healthy during these conditions? There are so many benefits to improving indoor air quality in schools. Here are a few additional points to consider: 1) Improved ventilation and indoor air quality in schools results in better academic performance, better focus and attention 2) Improved ventilation helps reduce carbon dioxide (C02) levels which in high concentration can cause drowsiness and fatigue 3) Improving indoor air quality results in a reduction in respiratory illnesses, reduced symptoms of asthma and allergies, and fewer student absences 4) Exposure to wildfire smoke is not only extremely harmful to children but studies are beginning to show that it can also exacerbate transmission and the severity of respiratory illnesses The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has just published a new standard that sets out improved minimum requirements to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases in indoor environments including schools. It is called ASHRAE Standard 241-2023. Would you be able to find out if the school board is following this new standard? And if not, whether there are plans to implement it in the near future? I think it is very important that schools adhere to these new standards in order to help our kids stay healthy. I am asking for your assistance in advocating for improving indoor air quality in schools in your capacity as a School Board Trustee. Ideally, the school board trustees would set up a committee that includes experts to create an indoor air policy for [school board name] schools. The Waterloo District School Board Trustees recently put forward a notice of motion to strike an ad hoc committee to develop an Indoor Air Quality policy. I am hopeful that the same can be done at [School Board name] because I believe that clean, healthy air is a right for all school children. I have put together some of the research that helped me see the importance of improving indoor air quality below. I hope these resources will help you understand that our students have a right to healthy indoor air in Ontario schools and that [school board name] has a duty to work diligently towards that goal. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to discuss this with you further. I really appreciate your time and attention on this matter and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best regards, [Your name] Reference material [See below for references]