Air Quality in Redwood City

Introduction

Unfortunately, large-scale fires are becoming more common. Even when fires burn hundreds of miles away, the impact on the air here in the Bay Area can be felt for days, sometimes weeks.

RCSD follows guidelines set forth in the School Air Quality Activity Recommendations, which is a document developed with guidance from the California Department of Education for all California schools.

Keeping Track of Air Quality

RCSD uses Air Now to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI), which is also used by San Mateo County Health and the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE). Depending on the current air quality level, RCSD will then consult the corresponding recommendation in the School Air Quality Activity Recommendations document.

Air Quality Index Scale

Green (0-50 Good)

Maintain regular school routines.
Continue outdoor recess, lunch and P.E.

Yellow (51-100 Moderate)

Maintain regular school routines.
Continue outdoor recess, lunch and P.E.
Ensure that sensitive individuals are medically managing their condition.*

Orange (101-150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)

Open classroom doors and windows, as needed.
Provide indoor and outdoor options during lunch and recess, with reminders to reduce physical exertion.
Sensitive individuals should exercise indoors or avoid vigorous outdoor activities.*

Red (Unhealthy)

Exercise indoors or limit vigorous outdoor activities to a maximum of 15 minutes.
Sensitive individuals should remain indoors.*
Consider whether or not after-school activities scheduled for the outdoors should be canceled or changed.

Purple (Very Unhealthy)

Health alert: the risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
No outdoor activity. All activities should be moved indoors.
School closures may occur depending on guidance from the San Mateo County Health Department.

Maroon (Hazardous)

Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.
No outdoor activity. All activities should be moved indoors. School closures may occur.
School closures may occur depending on guidance from the San Mateo County Health Department.

*Sensitive Individuals include all those with asthma or other heart/lung conditions. Please inform your child's teacher and the school office staff of any significant health concerns for your child(ren), especially those who may have respiratory challenges due to allergies, asthma, recent upper respiratory infections, etc., as we will be taking extra care with these students.

RCSD families should know that the district prioritizes schools remaining open. Individual parents are the best judges of the conditions under which their students should attend school when schools remain open during days with poor air quality. Parents and guardians may keep their children at home on poor air quality days. This is an excused absence.

Poor Air Quality and COVID-19

During healthy to moderate air quality days, RCSD typically keeps its doors and windows open and pulls fresh air in from the outside through its HVAC system. During poor air quality days, those practices change in order to avoid pulling smoky, unhealthy air into the classroom. Even with windows and doors closed and air recirculating, the high quality filters, the additional HEPA filtration systems included in each space, and the use of masks sufficiently reduces the spread of the COVID virus.

The San Mateo County Pandemic Recovery Framework (PRF), the document all San Mateo schools currently use for public health guidelines, affirms that with the proper ventilation students and staff can remain indoors safely with windows and doors closed and ventilation systems set on “recirculating,” instead of pulling air from the outside.

The district will continue to abide by the protocols and require masks indoors onsite on poor air quality days. Should the AQI reach unhealthy levels, the district may dismiss school early to avoid any maskless time indoors.

AIR QUALITY PROTOCOL FAQ

What resources does RCSD use to make decisions about air quality and our response?

RCSD, along with all school districts in San Mateo County, uses two sources to track air quality: the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website, AirNow.gov, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, BAAQMD.gov. With the advice of the County Health Department, we use these sources because they are calibrated and regulated. Other popular websites are part of the "internet of things," which are not currently calibrated or regulated, resulting in readings upon which the district cannot solely rely when making decisions. This is not to say that sites such as these might not evolve into a reliable resource; it's simply to say that they are not currently the tools the district is at liberty to use. We encourage parents and community members to use AirNow and BAAQMD, as well. To help inform the district's response, RCSD refers to the California Department of Education's Memo on Guidelines for Schools and Wildfire Smoke. The EPA and the U.S. Forest Service launched a pilot project of what some may consider to be the Holy Grail of air quality maps: combined readings taken from PurpleAir’s low-cost sensors and those from official government monitoring devices, all in a single map. This article explains the potential new monitoring system that may be used going forward.

At what point will RCSD keep students indoors due to air quality concerns?

Using Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers from AirNow and/or BAAQMD, we apply the recommendations from The Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools to determine the appropriate activities based on the AQI.

When air quality index levels reach 101-150, “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,” only students with a specific restriction regarding air quality on their RCSD Health Care Plan will be kept inside during recess, P.E. and lunch. All parents can contact the school office to request their child to stay indoors for recesses and lunchtime.
When the AQI levels reach 201-500, “Very Unhealthy,” or “Hazardous,” we will hold all physical activities inside for all children, including recess, P.E, and lunch. (See exception for COVID below.)

Field trips to indoor locations will move forward as planned. Outdoor field trips will proceed as planned when AQI levels are below 151.

How does RCSD monitor students who are considered a “sensitive group?”

RCSD refers to the Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to inform our decisions for caring for students who have asthma and/or other respiratory health concerns. As always, our staff will prioritize student health needs and follow student health plans. If your child has asthma and/or other related health concerns, please make sure his/her health plan is updated to include responses during days with poor air quality and that the necessary medications and the requisite directions are provided to the school.

When the Air Quality Index (AQI) is concerning while children are at school, what further measures will RCSD take to decrease exposure?

RCSD refers to the Air Quality and Outdoor Activities Guidance for Schools Chart set by the EPA to make decisions on the location of activities. If the AQI enters the unhealthy range, RCSD will implement Shelter in Place Protocol. During “Shelter in Place,” students and staff may move freely inside buildings, and teaching and work continues. Recess and outdoor activities will be canceled or held indoors; movement outside between buildings is okay. Staff should close and seal doors, windows, and vents; shut down the classroom/building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to prevent exposure to the outside air. “Shelter in Place” may be modified depending on the air quality level, the distance between buildings, and other factors.

What steps can parents take to support their child during poor air quality?

Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about air quality concerns. Feel free to share these factual official advisories that are published by the Environmental Protection Agency. Being in conversation with your child and referring to facts helps reduce confusion. Other steps parents can take include:

If your child has asthma or related health concern, please refer to the above “sensitive groups” question.
Remind children to drink plenty of water.
Remind students to report symptoms including coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and chest tightness. If symptoms occur, your child might need to take a break, do a less intense activity, stop all activity, go indoors, or use quick-relief medicine as prescribed. If symptoms don't improve, consult your physician.
Rather than walking or biking to school, children should be transported via public or private transportation.
If weather is cold, send child to school with long pants and a heavy coat or jacket in case the HVAC system is turned off. Conversely, if warm, please encourage students to dress comfortably.

Can parents keep their children home during periods of poor air quality and will the absence be excused?

Under what conditions and when will RCSD Schools be closed due to poor air quality?

The San Mateo County Health Department (SMCHD) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) are clear that there exists no established number that would indicate the need to close schools. Our school district will rely on the direction of SMCHD and BAAQMD to determine the need for school closure. Should these two organizations recommend closure, RCSD will close schools. While no universal Air Quality Index (AQI) measure exists above which schools should close, SMCHD is clear that students are safer supervised at school than at home, potentially unsupervised. RCSD will not rely on the closure of other area school districts, even those closest to ours, to determine the need to close schools.

Are RCSD staff required to report to work under conditions of poor air quality and what accommodations can be made for their safety?

Yes, RCSD staff are required to report to work as per the California Government Code § 3100 & 3101. Like accommodations made for students when following “Shelter in Place,” the same protocols will be available for employees.

“It is hereby declared that the protection of the health and safety and preservation of the lives and property of the people of the state from the effects of natural, manmade, or war-caused emergencies which result in conditions of disaster or in extreme peril to life, property, and resources is of paramount state importance requiring the responsible efforts of public and private agencies and individual citizens. In furtherance of the exercise of the police power of the state in protection of its citizens and resources, all public employees are hereby declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.” Cal. Gov’t Code § 3100

“For the purpose of this chapter the term “disaster service worker” includes all public employees and all volunteers in any disaster council or emergency organization accredited by the Office of Emergency Services. The term “public employees” includes all persons employed by the state or any county, city, city and county, state agency or public district, excluding aliens legally employed.” Cal. Gov’t Code § 3101.

Will RCSD be required to “make up” days that schools are closed?

Where can parents go to find the latest information from RCSD regarding Air Quality and school closures?

How does COVID affect the district's air quality protocols?

RCSD follows the San Mateo County Office of Education and Health Department's Pandemic Recovery Framework for guidance on school safety during COVID. The PRF affirms that upgraded ventilation systems with MERV 13 filters and classroom portable HEPA filters (RCSD has both) are sufficient to clean the air and keep students and staff safe even when doors and windows are shut and ventilation systems are recirculating the indoor air, due to poor air quality. RCSD will follow the PRF guidelines for poor air quality, keeping schools open, in alignment with the district's air quality protocols.

Recognizing that particularly virulent strains of COVID can put students at greater risk when they are indoors without a mask, should the AQI rise above 200 before lunch, the Superintendent may make the decision to close schools early instead of risking maskless eating and drinking indoors. This exception is specific to when COVID spread is particularly concerning and students do not have access to vaccination.

If a parent cannot pick up their child once school is closed early, arrangements will be made to supervise the child at school and provide them as safe a space as possible to eat lunch.

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