Written answers

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Covid-19 Pandemic

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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949. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if each school in an area (details supplied) will receive CO2 monitors before the 2021-2022 academic year commences. [39485/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe.

The Department has updated its guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools.

This was done at the end of May and followed on from work done centrally by an expert group that was looking at the role of ventilation in managing Covid-19.

A copy of the guidance is published at www.gov.ie/en/publication/ad236-guidance-on-ventilation-in-schools/.

The over-arching approach in the guidance is for schools to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use.

The guidance outlines the role that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation.

In this regard, the Department is procuring a number of portable monitors which will be distributed to schools in August and September – between 2 and 20 at primary level and between 20 and 35 at post-primary level depending on school size. This will ensure that a CO2 monitor will be available for use in every classroom in Ireland, including those in Dublin South West.

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