Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

This EPA Tools for Schools web guide curates federal best-practice resources to help K-12 leaders maintain healthy classroom air during COVID-19 and into the future. It distills science-based strategies into five actionable sections: establish an IAQ management program, perform routine HVAC maintenance, employ filtration and portable air cleaners, develop a communications plan, and train staff. Each section links directly to core EPA tools—Framework for Effective School IAQ Management, IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit, Preventive Maintenance Guidance—and to current CDC and U.S. Department of Education ventilation guidance and funding memos. Practical recommendations include ensuring HVAC outdoor-air flows meet or exceed design minimums, upgrading to MERV-13 filters where equipment allows, deactivating demand-controlled ventilation during respiratory-virus outbreaks, and selecting properly sized HEPA units for high-risk rooms. The page emphasizes that ventilation, filtration and source-control must work together, and that proactive communication with the school community builds buy-in for IAQ investments. By integrating pandemic-driven ventilation improvements into comprehensive IAQ programs, districts can reduce illness transmission, improve overall air quality and support better attendance and learning outcomes long after the pandemic.