Published in the December 19, 2019 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Although Wakefield students have already had one snow day, winter hasn’t even arrived yet. The season officially begins Sunday, Dec. 22, and school officials say they are ready for whatever Old Man Winter can dish out.
Director of Facilities Bob Schiaroli told the School Committee last week that his department has been working hard to prepare for winter weather. He said that clearing the sidewalks in and around school grounds are a priority in terms of the safety of students, faculty and staff.
In response of a question from School Committee member Thomas Markham, Shiaroli said that he has met with the DPW to make sure that not only are the areas in the immediate vicinity of the schools clear and safe, but that the sidewalks along the walking routes used by students are also clear.
School Superintendent Doug Lyons said that the one snow day that the schools have had so far went well in terms of the execution of the “Learn Anywhere” program, which allows students and teachers to work from home and avoid making up snow days at the end of the year.
Lyons reminded the School Committee that the Massachusetts Department of Education has decided that it will do away with programs like Learn Anywhere for snow days statewide after the current school year. The old system of making up days missed due to weather will resume, Lyons said, although he held out hope that the Department of Education would reconsider its decision.
Schiaroli also reported that routine air quality testing in the schools continues, with Woodville School testing occurring last month. Shiaroli said that these tests are conducted by the state Department of Public Health as part of standard preventive maintenance and the results are posted on the DPH web site.
Those results for the Woodville School indicated that carbon dioxide levels were above the MDPH guideline of 800 parts per million (ppm) in about a third of areas tested, indicating a lack of air exchange in these areas. Some areas were empty, which can reduce carbon dioxide levels.
Temperature was within or close to the DPH recommended range of 70 degrees to 78 degrees on the day of the assessment. Relative humidity was within the MDPH recommended range of 40 to 60 percent in all areas the day of assessment and carbon monoxide levels were non-detectable in all areas tested. Fine particulate matter concentrations measured were below the National Ambient Air Quality limit in all areas tested.
Even when levels are within acceptable levels, Schiaroli said, DPH typically recommends measures for improving air flow as part of preventive maintenance. He said that efforts are being made to implement those recommendations.
Schiaroli noted that the high school and the Greenwood School were tested earlier this year and those results were within acceptable levels. He said that all of the remaining schools in the district will be tested before the end of the current school year.
