Stamford (Conn.) district struggles to improve air quality in schools

The Stamford (Conn.) district has made several efforts to improve air quality in its schools, but still has buildings with poor ventilation.

The Stamford Advocate reports a number of the district's buildings have inadequate ventilation and mold problems; one of those is Toquam Magnet School. 

Toquam is one of five schools scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt because of extensive problems with the structure, including water intrusion. School officials say mold is contributing to the poor air quality at the magnet school. 

However, the district is mainly concerned about Toquam's HVAC system. Administrators have said the system's valves are faulty, which inhibits appropriate air conditioning in the building.

The district has spent almost $3 million on three outdoor air-dehumidifier units to address the ongoing problems with air quality and mold.

The district has already earmarked $1.65 million in Covid funding to fix HVAC issues at Scofield Middle School, Northeast Elementary School and Turn of River Middle School.

Mold has been a problem at many district schools. The most extreme example was Westover Magnet Elementary School, where students and staff were relocated to an office building  in 2018, where they remained for two years. Ventilation problems continued even after the school re-opened. 

The fix of the air system at Toquam is slated for summer of 2022.