In late November, Taigi Smith began a new routine with her 10-year-old daughter Savannah, who attends Bradford elementary school in Montclair.
“I make sure she’s wearing layers — an undershirt, T-shirt, shirt and a hoodie. Long socks. Then her coat,” Smith said.
The warm clothing is necessary, not just because it’s cold outside, but because it’s cold inside, too. With the transmission of COVID’s new variants a big concern and no ventilation systems in most district buildings, teachers are opening windows to get air circulating. But aging boilers mean the heat can’t be cranked too high, and the result can be freezing classrooms and distracted students.
“The windows are open, the heat is not sufficient, our children are cold, our teachers are cold, it is not conducive to learning,” said Board of Education member Kathryn Weller-Demming, who is also a public school parent, at a December meeting. “We all knew winter was coming, we all know our students and staff have been through an incredibly disruptive period that has caused intense suffering. I’m incredibly disappointed that we don’t have a plan for the cold weather yet.”
In September, all Montclair students returned to classrooms full time after more than a year of all-remote instruction. Many parents, including Smith, say they and their children are happy they’re back.
Montclair students and parents protested the cancellation of a return to in-person instruction on Jan. 25 in front of Edgemont Elementary School after members of the teachers union cited pandemic safety concerns. Jan. 25, 2021.
But many are also worried that the lack of adequate ventilation during the high-transmission winter months will trigger a rise in cases and that schools will be forced to close again.
Superintendent Jonathan Ponds said at a December school board meeting that he has implemented “an important strategy of being outside as much as we can,” especially during lunch, when children are unmasked. Recently, the district set up tents where students eat if the “real feel” temperature, as determined by an administrator, is 40 degrees or warmer. Recess is outdoors if the “real feel” temperature is 28 degrees or warmer.
Story continues
A group of parents is raising money to place air purifiers throughout the district, with a focus on lunchrooms and gyms.
But upgrading existing HVAC equipment — which in the majority of buildings consists simply of boilers — to heating and air-conditioning systems that keep fresh air circulating, is still a long way off. At a recent school board meeting, trustee Eric Scherzer said that summer of 2023 is the earliest installation is likely to begin.
“The delay is frustrating,” he said.
The problem of poor ventilation in district schools didn’t just come to light: It’s the reason Ponds decided to start the school year all-remote more than a year ago, and why Montclair teachers resisted returning to classrooms until April of 2021.
Downtown: Montclair officials celebrate rebound on Small Business Saturday
Local politics has played a part in the delay. This fall, a $15.5 million bond plan to add district-wide HVAC systems ping-ponged between the Township Council and the board of school estimate, with neither board pulling the trigger. Then, in November, Montclair voters approved a switch to an elected school board from an appointed board, so voters must now approve the bond.
Simply creating the referendum takes about six months. Board of Education members say they are aiming to put the question on the November 2022 ballot.
And that’s just the beginning of what’s needed to get working HVAC systems in the district’s buildings. According to councilor Peter Yacobellis, there will be many millions more needed to shore up aging roofs so they can support the new systems, run ductwork through walls and upgrade plumbing.
Meanwhile, some parents are asking why increasing the student vaccination rate isn’t part of the conversation
There is currently no mandate for children attending public schools in New Jersey to be vaccinated, but they are available for children ages five and up.
“COVID is here to stay, in some form or fashion,” said Carolyn Cobran, who has a first-grader at Nishuane school who is vaccinated. “We are going to continue to have the variant-of-the-month club and continue to have cases go up and down until we reach higher levels of vaccination.”
Julia Martin is the 2021 recipient of the New Jersey Society for Professional Journalists’ David Carr award for her coverage of Montclair for NorthJersey.com.
For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: jmartin@gannettnj.com
Twitter: @TheWriteJulia
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Montclair schools COVID worries keep students bundled up indoors
