Modine is committed to helping school systems protect the health of their students by improving air quality without sacrificing comfort or disrupting the learning environment.

As school systems across the country struggle to comply with ventilation requirements needed to safely allow in-person learning, the School Library Journal reports that some official guidance has been less than helpful:

The documented airborne aerosol transmission of the novel coronavirus means proper ventilation is needed for mitigation and “Just open the windows” is not adequate advice. As educators note repeatedly on social media, “Open the windows” is not a viable option in places where the windows don’t open, the weather is too cold or too hot, there is too much noise outside, or the air quality is dangerously poor. The goal is educating students (not just having them in the building) and that can’t be done if they are freezing through hats and mittens, trying to breathe through dangerous heat and humidity or pollution.

Airedale Sentinel® Vertical Unit Ventilator

Modine offers economical and effective ventilation products built with educational settings in mind. The Airedale Sentinel® Vertical Unit Ventilator from Modine, operating in conjunction with a school’s central chiller/boiler plant, is designed to improve ventilation and indoor air quality of classrooms by conditioning incoming air. The units are engineered to minimize energy usage while optimizing the amount of fresh air ventilation in the space. The Sentinel® can be integrated into a school facility’s building management system (BMS) through the advanced Modine Controls System, which is installed as a standard feature. 

School HVAC Funding Opportunities

No ventilation solution can help a classroom if the school system can’t afford to pay for the purchase or installation. Funding for educational capital projects, such as installing new HVAC systems, is not always easy to come by. The U.S. Congress, however, has passed legislation that provides new funding opportunities for school systems seeking to improve ventilation in their facilities. 

On Dec. 27, the U.S. Congress approved an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund). The guidelines allow school systems to receive funding to address “preparing schools for reopening, and testing, repairing, and upgrading projects to improve air quality in school buildings.” The recently passed American Rescue Plan includes $130 billion in funding dedicated to K-12 education that schools systems can also use to improve ventilation systems in their facilities. 

For more information on how we can provide affordable ventilation solutions to school systems or to find your nearest authorized Modine representative or distributor, visit our website.