Posted on February 2, 2021
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Categories: News from SDP

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Our Facilities & Maintenance Team continues to install window fans and make other needed repairs to ventilation systems to support proper ventilation in our schools as we prepare to safely welcome back staff and students in phases for in-person teaching and learning. As a reminder, window fans will be installed only in rooms that do not have operating ventilation systems, but do have windows to provide access to fresh air.

Here are three more facts you should know:

  • Fact #1: The District has purchased about 3,000 fans that are manufactured to generate at least 270 cubic feet of fresh air per minute. That’s enough fresh air flow to support 18 people in the room before applying social distancing requirements. It’s also enough fans to have extras in case we need to replace any later in the school year.
  • Fact #2: Window fans have been delivered to all school buildings that need them, and installation has begun. To date, more than one third of the fans have been installed. Our goal — as much as possible — is to have all window fans installed before staff return on February 8. Recent weather conditions may cause a slight delay in our installation schedule.
  • Fact #3: We want classroom temperatures to be at or above 68 degrees to support comfortable in-person learning environments for students and staff. We have proactively tested temperatures in a sample of rooms with the window fans on to assess the impact. In all cases, temperatures in the room remained above 68 degrees. Also, once in-person learning begins, our building engineers will safely check classrooms to ensure the window fans are operating properly and the room temperatures are appropriate.

To learn more about our ventilation efforts and all of the layers of safety that will be in place to protect the health and well-being of everyone in our schools, please visit www.philasd.org/aes.