Katoomba PS P&C

CLEAN AIR FOR KPS!

COVID19 safe return to school for Katoomba Public School 

school-wide ventilation system community crowdfunding campaign

Unlike the Victorian Government, the NSW Government currently has no plans to install air filters in primary school classrooms even though NSW students are about to resume face-to-face learning and children under the age of 12 are currently not eligible for vaccination. Several international studies suggest that air filters can significantly curb the transmission of COVID19 within the school environment. Katoomba Public School (KPS) Parents and Citizens Association (P&C) has undertaken an independent assessment of ventilation and air quality at KPS and would like to acquire air monitors and filters for all high-use areas to not only improve air quality during the pandemic but also during regular cold/flu and bushfire seasons. If you feel that this is a valuable investment in our KPS staff and students, please consider donating whatever you can. 

See below for detail and thank you in advance! KPS P&C 

Key details

Katoomba Public School P&C is raising funds for a school-wide ventilation system as part of our long-term safe school strategy during the COVID19 pandemic.

The NSW Government/NSW Department of Education’s plan is reliant on natural ventilation such as opening windows and doors, but there are several reasons why this system alone is challenging for us at KPS:

1. COVID19 is an airborne disease. Ventilation, along with vaccination and vital COVID safe steps, is essential to keep children and staff safe. Children under 12 years of age are not currently eligible for vaccination, so adequate ventilation in primary schools is a priority.

2. We are situated within the Blue Mountains National Park and are very susceptible to bush fires. Not only do the bush fires drastically impact our fresh air, but KPS is a Katoomba evacuation site, so maintaining safe indoor areas is prudent.

3. Katoomba is a community that requires care. Many of our community members and some staff live and work up in the mountains rather than in more high-density areas for health reasons. We need to keep our community as safe as possible not just from COVID19 (including future variants), but also during regular cold and flu seasons.

4. We are a school that prides itself on nurturing young children with various developmental challenges, and sometimes relying on doors and windows to stay open can be at odds with student safety.

We support the state-wide “COVID19 safety measures in schools: ventilation & air filtration” ePetition currently collecting signatures for hopeful submission to the NSW Parliament, but if the ePetition is not supported, and/or if the Government does not follow the Victorian Government who committed $190M to purchase 51K air purification devices for their schools (organised mid-2021), it is our KPS children and staff who are left without.

The Blue Mountains Music Festival is our major fundraiser, but with a cancelled event in 2020 and the event unable to run in 2021, our savings and regular fundraising capacity have been significantly depleted, and so, we are calling on our caring and invested school and local community to help us keep our wonderful school safe.

Our ask

We are aiming to raise $15K to purchase air purification devices (including HEPA filters) and carbon dioxide monitors to be installed in 11 classrooms and 1 library. This will not cover the whole school but addresses high-use areas. We have the campaign open until 9 December 2021. If funded, the P&C will order equipment (currently on an 8-week back order) to be ready for the start of the 2022 school year. If the NSW Government commits to a suitable ventilation package for schools, we will allow donations to be refunded or offered to other P&C projects, such as school and sports equipment, excursion, and camp subsidies and school events, as per the donor's discretion.

Background

The current measures undertaken by the Department of Education to ensure windows and doors can be opened as the only ventilation strategy are not sufficient. OzSAGE, a network of public health experts, believes ventilation in classrooms is a key requirement for the safe lifting of restrictions in NSW. Their stance is supported by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the Victorian Government. Carbon dioxide concentrations indoors should be below 800 parts per million. If it is above that level, then there is no other way of getting fresh outdoor air into the space other than air filtration units. All schools need monitoring systems to monitor air flow and ventilation systems to improve it. 

KPS P&C had an independent onsite assessment and it has been concluded that a comprehensive air ventilation system will significantly improve air quality and will be more manageable for staff while they focus on educating our students after 18 months of interrupted schooling than manually managing airflow to the degree required to meet recommendations.

Our school

Proudly on the Aboriginal lands of the Darug and Gundungurra Peoples, Katoomba Public School is a dynamic learning community committed to providing a friendly, caring, and inclusive learning environment that engages students who work to achieve their personal best in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation. Katoomba Public School draws its students from one of the state's main tourist areas. It serves a diverse community and currently has 297 students enrolled. We have significant numbers of both Aboriginal students and multicultural students. There are five classes from K–2 and six classes from Years 3–6 as well as a multi-category class which is a class for students with disabilities.

Thank you for your consideration and hopeful support to keep our school community safe. 

As the NSW Government is not intending to fund school air filters currently, the KPS P&C has been independently quoted $15,000-$18,000 to install filters in all high-use areas i.e., 11 classrooms, 1 library, as per breakdown below:

12 x air purification devices (including HEPA filters), low-noise models (Approx. $900-$1200 each)

12 x carbon dioxide monitors (Approx. $500-$700 total)

2 years maintenance (TBC)

Delivery (TBC)

We need a minimum of $15,000 to complete the acquisition of air monitors and filters for all classrooms as part of a COVID Safe plan for all students attending the Katoomba Public School during the COVID19 pandemic and beyond. 

We aim to fundraise  $15,000 from the school and the local community. Existing P&C funds will meet excess costs. If we raise more than our target, we will retain the extra funds for annual maintenance costs.

If the NSW Government commits to a suitable ventilation package for schools by the end of the school year, or our target is not met by the community, we will allow donations to be refunded or offered to other KPS P&C projects, such as school and sports equipment, excursion and camp subsidies, and school events. 

Any questions or feedback can be directed to [email protected].