Hamilton schools reopen again, but they're still waiting for 95 air filters from the province

Sara Fung said she was concerned after learning there was no HEPA unit in her son's Grade 1 class at Bellmoore Elementary School.

But she didn't want to wait around for one to arrive.

"I would be willing to buy one for the class," Fung told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old nurse said she told the school she was willing to make the purchase, but they turned her down.

"I was feeling frustrated. I actually thought they would appreciate my offer," Fung said.

Hamilton school boards said they're still waiting on 95 more HEPA units the province promised to deliver, but it's unclear if her son's class will get one of them. The province said back in early January it would add 3,000 more units in Ontario schools.

Air purifiers with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can reduce the concentration of some viruses in the air by capturing small particles, such as the water droplets that can carry the coronavirus.

Fung ended up tweeting about what happened and said she heard from families in other cities who had similar experiences.

But, even with concerns about the safety of classrooms, her children attended in-person classes on Wednesday after a two-week hiatus due to the growing number of Omicron cases.

One of the reasons a previous delay to in-person learning (from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5) took place was to provide schools with N95 masks and more HEPA units, according to the province.

Two weeks later, the masks have arrived but the HEPA units haven't.

LISTEN: A fundraising campaign to increase the number of HEPA filters in Thames Valley

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) spokesperson Shawn McKillop said it is only allowed to use province-approved HEPA units.

The public school board said as of Wednesday it was still waiting on 57 units, while Hamilton's Catholic school board said it was waiting on 38 units.

Schools not allowed to accept donated HEPA units

Before schools reopened on Wednesday, boards also received more three-ply masks for students. The province said it is sending rapid antigen tests to schools as well.

But there's no word on when more HEPA units are coming — just that they will eventually come, McKillop said in an email on Wednesday.

He added HWDSB already has 1,093 HEPA units, including in all kindergarten spaces and at schools without mechanical ventilation. 

"These HEPA air purifiers are meant to service approximately 1,000 square feet per unit. Classrooms are usually approximately 750 square feet," McKillop wrote.

"Once we receive any HEPA units, they require filters and the board would have to include the annual costs of filters in their operating budget moving forward."

Province doesn't say when HEPA units will arrive

When asked about why the HEPA units haven't arrived in Hamilton and when they're expected to arrive, the province didn't offer details.

"The government ensured that 70,000 HEPA filter units were in place for the start of school in September, including over 1800 HEPA filter units in Hamilton schools, along with providing all students learning in-school with a rapid test kit over the holidays, and already completed delivery of N95 masks for staff and rapid tests for students and staff," wrote Caitlin Clark, spokesperson for the Minister of Education.

She also said the province invested more than $600 million into improving ventilation and uses the highest grade MERV-13 filters.

Fung said she believes the province should let families donate or buy HEPA units.

"We need to look at parents as part of the solution ... something is better than nothing," she said.

"I don't think there should be a reason to not do what's so badly needed right now."