St. Gregory Parish School, a preschool through eighth-grade school just outside Erie, PA, had numerous air quality issues. St. Gregory School is an older building, so there were concerns of dust, excess moisture, mold, and lack of proper ventilation.
Emily O’Neill, a teacher at St. Gregory said, “I am allergic to dust, so it made breathing difficult. I noticed that I had a cough and that I had a tendency to get sick more often.”
The school was also often hot and humid, with a musty smell during the warmer months. Sometimes the air was arid. Students and staff would also frequently get headaches or experience other health issues. Because of this, classrooms frequently went through an absurd amount of tissues.
“I noticed as soon as I would come to work, I would get this headache, and as soon as I left the building, the headache would ease up,” said Mary Carrol Schoenfeldt, Principal at St. Gregory.
The school also had immunocompromised individuals in the building – individuals with asthma or other health problems, making clean air essential. In fact, St. Gregory had a staff member who recently underwent chemotherapy, making her especially vulnerable.
“With the Covid epidemic that we’ve had, parents are more conscientious of the air quality,” Schoenfeldt said. “And with not wearing masks at all this year anymore, that was certainly a concern.”
The Solution – Austin Air
Air quality was such a concern that one of the teachers at St. Gregory’s recommended the school purchase Air Doctor air purifiers. She recommended Air Doctor because she had one at home. The school ordered the Air Doctor purifiers, but eight months later, they still had not received them.
So, St. Gregory canceled their Air Doctor order and turned to Austin Air Systems.
“Within a week and a half we had all our air purifiers,” Helfrich said. “It was so fast. And it was super easy – take it out of the box, plug it in, and the purification started.”
St. Gregory used federal ESSER, or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to purchase Austin Air purifiers. ESSER is a $190 billion program created by the U.S. government’s stimulus bills in response to Covid-19. ESSER was implemented to help schools prevent the spread of Covid-19 and recover from its effects, including by improving indoor air quality.
The amount each state received in funding varies, and the guidelines for spending funding are flexible. Many school districts have used this funding to invest in air purification to improve staff and student health and to help mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
The Austin Air Results
There is now an Austin Air purifier in every room in St. Gregory School, and the environment changed dramatically, according to staff.
1. Less Humidity
On humid days, the purifiers took much of the humidity out of the air, making the students’ learning environment more comfortable.
“It was almost acting like an air conditioner, which is great because we don’t have that here,” O’Neill said. “It made the room temperature very cozy.”
Lauren Rogust, another teacher at St. Gregory, said that after Austin Air purifiers were installed in the school, the air was much more breathable, especially during the hotter months.
“It wasn’t like I was choking on air all the time,” Rogust said.
Schoenfeldt also said the musty odor, which was especially prominent in the classrooms in the basement, has disappeared since the school implemented Austin Air purifiers.
“I don’t notice it anymore; it just smells like a normal room,” Schoenfeldt said. “Certainly, that’s a testimony to Austin Air.”
2. Fewer Negative Health Symptoms
Schoenfeldt also said after Austin Air purifiers were installed in the school, she no longer struggled with headaches.
Rogust also said that while she typically experiences many environmental allergies, the Austin Air purifiers have helped her feel better in the classroom.
“I assumed I would feel the allergy symptoms I feel outside, and that is not the case,” Rogust said.
Plus, Helfrich said her classroom went through significantly less tissues this year with the Austin Air purifiers.
“It’s really amazing how many less boxes I’ve gone through,” Helfrich said. “Even the kids have commented on how they feel in the classroom since we’ve had the air purifiers.”
There was also less dust in the room, and O’Neill said she was less sick this year than in the past.
3. Peace of Mind
“It was all positive reactions from parents,” O’Neill said. “I would definitely say it is a plus. If you have a breathing problem or allergies, this is definitely the way to go.”
Reduced Viral Transmission
Parents, staff, and students all feel more comfortable that transmission of Covid-19 will be mitigated.
“It really makes it hard as a parent to send your child to school,” Rogust said. “I know that a lot of the parents I have come in contact with feel a lot safer altogether with this.”
Rogust said the presence of Austin Air purifiers in the school makes her feel more comfortable as well because she is immunocompromised.
“Because I am immunocompromised, it makes me feel like I don’t have to wear a mask all the time, and that is something that I can’t say for everywhere,” Rogust said. “I still wear a mask almost everywhere except school.”
“I think it’s really beneficial, not just to students but also faculty and staff,” Rogust said. “It makes us all feel safe. We all saw what happened last time – we don’t want a do-over.”
About Austin Air Purifiers
Austin Air purifiers are the only clinically proven air purification system on the market. We have outperformed more than 100 other air purifiers in government tests. We use CDC, EPA, and WHO-recommended technology that captures 99% of virus particles larger than 0.1 microns.
We use a combination of both medical-grade HEPA and activated carbon in our filters. And some units even have an extra layer of protection in their filters not found in any other air purifier. These units have a HEGA cloth, which, when tested by the Health Protection Agency in the UK, was found to not only capture viruses but destroy them.
Austin Air purifiers also are small, movable, and run quietly, similar to white noise, meaning they are not a distraction to students and even help some students focus or help younger students fall asleep during nap time.
“We don’t even notice it’s running,” Helfrich said. “It’s not a distraction at all.”
Our filters also last up to five years, meaning your school will have to replace filters less often, making Austin Air purifiers the easier and more cost-effective option.
Our products are handcrafted in America, right in Buffalo, NY, meaning no pesky supply chain issues.
