Put 'planning' on Dist. 211's list
As Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 dickers over what to do with the $17.7 million anticipated from its recent real estate deal, maybe it should dedicate a hefty sum to crisis and disaster planning.
After all, many parents have been complaining that their teens should be in school on school grounds and not in school at home. So, forget about the proposed property tax breaks and instead invest a solid portion of those funds in facility improvements and stockpiling supplies. Here are seven options that potentially could protect us from exposure to the coronavirus, as well as influenza, etc.
1. Invest in UV-C light sanitizer/sterilizer units on wheels to clean surfaces as well as portable wand devices for maintenance staff to use.
2. Consider switching out overhead fluorescent light bulbs with UV-C bulbs.
3. Install body-temperature monitoring devices in doorways and in freestanding kiosks, and equip staff with smart eyewear that can check temperatures of people groups in minutes.
4. Install a building fan system powerful enough to pull air up into the HVAC system.
5. Retrofit the HVAC system to include high-acuity filters and scrubbers that can deactivate or nullify the COVID-19 virus, rendering it inert before expelling the air outside.
6. Invest in a six-month stockpile of N95 ventilators, masks, gloves and other PPE products, including disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers, and dedicate someone to manage that supply chain, rotating stock routinely into everyday use as needed so as not to waste product that can't be used past expiration dates.
7. Use a portion of the proceeds to set up a fund to help parents and students obtain reliable internet connections should they decide to or have to attend school virtually at home.
The key mindset may be to concentrate on reacting to the present situation, but officials also should focus on the future should/when something even more dangerous than COVID-19 emerges.
Rick Dana Barlow
Schaumburg