Teachers Concerned About IAQ, But Many Turn In-Room Air Purifiers Down/Off

SCHOOL TEACHERS NATIONWIDE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT AIR QUALITY IN CLASSROOMS – BUT MANY ARE TURNING DOWN OR OFF IN-ROOM AIR PURIFIERS DUE TO NOISE

National survey shows two-thirds of K-12 educators are concerned about classroom air quality and nearly 70% of teachers are turning down or turning off portable, in-room, HEPA air purifiers – one of the most frequently deployed air cleaning technologies in schools – because of student complaints and impact on teaching

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (NOVEMBER 23, 2021) – A new national survey of K-12 teachers, commissioned by GPS, shows that more than two-thirds are turning down or turning off portable, in-room, HEPA air purifiers (one of the most frequently deployed technologies) as a result of the noise they can generate in classrooms. Turning the portable units down or off reduces or eliminates the impact they can have on airborne pathogens and particles, potentially impacting more than 35 million students¹ across the U.S.

Key findings from the survey of 750 public and private school educators underscore the importance of comprehensive air quality solutions – from increased ventilation to emerging filtration technologies – and the importance of using a range of modalities tailored to the unique needs of each local school district.

SPECIFICALLY, TEACHERS REPORT THE FOLLOWING:

• Two-thirds (67%) of K-12 educators report being concerned about the air quality in their classrooms. Fewer than one-in-four teachers (23%) are extremely confident that the air in their classrooms is clean and safe.
• Nearly seven-in-ten (69%) of K-12 teachers in the survey turn off or turn down their in-room portable HEPA filters due to the noise they produce.
• Two-thirds (67%) of teachers often have the portable HEPA filters in their classrooms set to a level below “High” (including off) – most air cleaning systems are designed and tested with the expectation that portable air filters will run at maximum power.
• Four-in-ten (40%) of teachers surveyed say that the noise levels from in-room air filters makes it harder for them to teach or harder for their students to learn. Three-in-ten (31%) report that students ask for in-room filters to be turned off or down either daily or weekly.

“Indoor air quality is complicated, especially in high traffic buildings like schools. Complex issues demand comprehensive solutions that work hand-in-glove with one another as part of a multi-layered approach to safely deliver cleaner air,” said Glenn Brinckman, chief executive officer of GPS. “Portable indoor HEPA air purifiers can be part of the equation. But like any standalone technology, they are not silver bullets for solving indoor air quality. It is critical that school systems look carefully at how their systems work in real world settings and in different kinds of school conditions to ensure that they are truly delivering the air quality results needed for their students and teachers.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Educational Statistics, Digest of Educational Statistics, more than 60 million students and teachers are in classrooms each day throughout the school year. Many schools, particularly older ones with aging HVAC systems, have invested in portable in-room HEPA filters among other air cleaning technologies.

For a more detailed overview of the survey’s findings, see below. To learn more about the challenges of maintaining indoor air quality in schools, please click here.

¹ Based on data from Hanson, Melanie. “K-12 School Enrollment & Student Population Statistics”, EducationData.org, September 19, 2021, https://educationdata.org/k12-enrollment-statistics

ABOUT THE NATIONAL TEACHERS SURVEY:

The survey was conducted by Group SJR on behalf of GPS. 750 teachers from both public and private schools in 47 states who have portable HEPA filters in their classrooms participated in the online survey between September 10-30, 2021. This included elementary (294), middle (188) and high school (268) teachers.

ABOUT GPS:

Since its founding in 2008, GPS’s NBPI technology has been installed in thousands of locations, including research labs, healthcare facilities, schools, universities and airports. NPBI uses a unique and patented low energy, soft ionization technology application that quietly works in concert with HVAC systems as part of a multi-layered approach to help reduce airborne particles and improve indoor air quality. GPS is one of the only manufacturers in the world to offer UL 2998 certification, UL’s stringent zero ozone emissions safety standard, across its entire brand portfolio. To learn more, visit GPS’ website.