The health and safety of our staff and students has been our top priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. MUFSD’s ventilation plan is one important component of our multi-tiered efforts to keep students and staff safe.  

MUFSD, similarly to every school district in New York State, must adhere to State regulations. Our ventilation, electrical and fire alarm systems must meet code standards.  Additionally, all District operations -- from repairs, to cleaning (including building materials, resources used in classrooms, cleaning supplies and chemicals and solutions used) -- must meet regulations set by the NY State Education Department and the NY State Department of Health. 

Our ventilation strategy, including specifically the use of Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) air purifiers, complies with all national and State codes. Currently, due to concerns raised by some community members, we are in the process of conducting air sampling/testing for ozone at all six of our school buildings. The District has contracted with a NY State-certified, independent company to conduct the testing, and we plan to share results of the report with the community when complete.

The NPBI technology has been independently tested throughout the world and is currently being used as a strategy for improving indoor air quality by hundreds of well-known institutions, such as  Boston Children’s Hospital, Google, the White House, the Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Army, Duke University Medical Center, and a host of other colleges/universities including Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, and Harvard University. More locally, the New Rochelle School District utilizes NPBI.

For more information on our ventilation strategy, please see our COVID-19 pandemic Health and Safety FAQs. We are encouraged by the downward trend of positive COVID cases in Westchester County, and it has been a joy to see students outside in this beautiful fall weather -  learning, laughing and playing. 

Respectfully,

Dr. Robert I. Shaps
Superintendent of Schools