Skip to main content
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

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.