ETFO Waterloo calling for HEPA units in all classrooms

Waterloo Region's Elementary School Teachers Federation says HEPA filters need to be in all classrooms. The public school board purchased 70 additional HEPA filters back in January. But, according to the president of ETFO for Waterloo, they have yet to receive them.

“When they do show up, that is one additional HEPA filter per school in our board, and that is a challenge for us,” said Jeff Pelich, president of the Waterloo chapter of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

Most elementary classrooms have parts of the day when students are maskless. “They are eating, socializing in classrooms during their nutritional break, most of them not as supervised with teachers in the room.”

Pelich adds that's really when the most prominent risk comes into play with aerosols in the air.

674 classrooms out of the 3,075 across the board have a HEPA filter. Each filter is over $700. The union is suggesting the board purchase CO2 monitors. Pelich adds that it is far less expensive and allows teachers to be aware if things aren't working correctly.

“One of the challenges we face with air quality is it's impossible for educators to truly know if the air system is working in their classroom. CO2 monitors aren't going to tell if COVID is in the air. Instead, they will tell us that the levels of CO2 are increased. It alerts them to ask for further investigation.”

Additionally, while HEPA units provide an additional level of protection, the units are loud. Pelich said the board had made an effort to purchase equipment that would further reduce their volume. Educators have reported experiencing terrible headaches with ringing in their ears, especially those who work in kindergarten settings.

While all this continues to be a waiting game, Pelich adds he hopes the HEPA units stay in schools once COVID has passed.