The Richmond School District is paying special attention to air quality in our schools. The district is taking concrete steps to ensure that our students and staff come to school and work each day in a clean, healthy and safe work environment.
At its 30 March 2022 Public Meeting, the Richmond Board of Education approved the maximum $12 Million Classroom Ventilation Program, funded out of its local capital reserve. The program involves the retrofit of mechanical ventilation units into classrooms, libraries, multipurpose rooms, staff rooms, general offices, PVP offices, resource rooms and special education rooms currently without these systems in 11 elementary schools. A total of 164 horizontal unit ventilators in existing classrooms, libraries, multipurpose rooms, and other larger rooms, and 27 vertical unit ventilators in office areas of thirteen (13) elementary schools (including two outside of the Board-funded program) over a period of 01 July 2022 and 31 August 2023.
In July 2023, the retrofit of energy recovery ventilation (ERV) units to 26 portable classrooms without year-round mechanical ventilation (only forced air heating furnaces) was added to the scope of the project.
Installation of all these units was completed by SD38 staff and mechanical contractors under the supervision of Unitech Construction Management.
Supporting Documents
- SD38 Classroom Ventilation Program Current Concept Plans 02 January 2023 (pdf)
- SD38 Classroom Ventilation Program Unit Ventilator Data 02 January 2023 (pdf)
- Apollo Vertical Unit Ventilator Typical Shop Drawings
- Daikin Horizontal Unit Ventilator Typical Shop Drawings
- Piping and Valves Specification
- School Electrical Plans (Reprinted)
To access the current ventilation system overviews for all district sites, click here.
SD38 Plumbing Upgrade Program
Two companion programs to the SD38 Classroom Ventilation Program are the SD38 Water Quality Program (mitigation of elevated levels of lead in drinking water) and SD38 Handwashing Sinks Program (installation of handwashing sinks in or near classrooms without sinks for the purposes of handwashing). This work was completed by the same team as the Classroom Ventilation Program.
Supporting Documents