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Parent urges district to deliver promised classroom air filters after student-led EPA project
Summary
A parent told the board her daughter’s indoor-air-quality project led to state-level funding but the family says district delivery and partnership with UConn/Yukon have not produced classroom installations.
MIDDLETOWN — A parent told the School Board that her daughter, identified in the presentation as the student behind an indoor-air-quality project, was invited to the EPA and advocated publicly for classroom air filters; the parent said the district has not yet received or installed the materials funded through a state program and asked the board to intervene.
Speaking during public comment, the parent described a multi-year effort by her daughter and partners, including Yukon Health and outreach to state officials. The parent said the district did not provide staff or administrative support for the EPA trip in 2023, that the family paid trip costs and was not reimbursed, and that subsequent communications and deliveries have not reached their school despite state funding being approved.
Superintendent Alberto Vasquez Matos and finance staff previously noted that the district applies for air-quality grants when eligible and that the state manages certain indoor-air-quality funding streams. In discussion later in the meeting, Natalie Forbes, executive director of finance, told board members there was not a separate air quality grant available to apply for at that time; the district applies when eligibility windows open.
Facilities staff described that indoor-air-quality HVAC assessments are required by a recent state law and that the district completed assessments on a rolling schedule; the larger mechanical-system assessments are expensive and will be scheduled across years at approximately 20% per year as directed by state guidance, staff said. The superintendent asked the district to follow up with the parent and to coordinate with UConn/Yukon partners and state contacts to determine delivery and installation status.
Ending: District officials said they will follow up with the parent and partner organizations to clarify the status of funded air-filter deliveries and to report back to the board when more details are available.
