Add as a preferred source on Google

Indiana School Buses to Get UV Air Purification, Filtration Systems

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/04/21

This week, the Indiana State School Bus Committee approved the installation of ultraviolet light air purification systems on school buses statewide. The decision became final after the success of a trial program run in partnership with indoor air quality solutions provider Lumin-Air.

“This approval is very exciting for Indiana school districts and puts Indiana on par with other states who have already approved these technologies to help provide clean air in their school buses,” said Andrew Desmarais, Lumin-Air’s Chief Operating Officer. “Most importantly, Indiana schools can now implement a solution to help reduce the risk of transmission and better protect students, bus drivers and other school bus occupants against airborne respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza.”

The system features enclosed MERV-13 filtration and UV lights, a more effective method of air cleansing than opening windows—especially in a densely populated environment like a bus. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued warnings about the dangers of inhaling exhaust and other outdoor pollutants like allergens.

The decision also comes ahead of the June 25 deadline for Indiana schools to submit proposals as to how they will portion out their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding.

“If a school system spent a little over 1 percent of their ESSER funding on air quality in their school buses, they could have systems installed, including 12 years of replacement filters and UV bulbs, addressing the neediest portion of their facilities,” said Dan Fillenwarth, President of Lumin-Air. “This would be a huge step toward improving the health of students, teachers and bus drivers, and helping to protect schools from shutting down in the future.”

Lumin-Air has previously installed similar solutions in California, Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania in both school and public buses.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

Digital Edition