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Prioritizing Reopening Schools
Maryland State called for public schools to reopen for hybrid in-person learning, which resumed in March 2021 (source: CBS News Baltimore). According to the Maryland School Reopening Guidance (updated January 2021), four groups will offer hybrid in-person learning: a special needs group, elementary students, secondary students (both middle and high school), and career/technology students.
While we planned on prioritizing vaccination groups, we found these reports helpful resources for reopening schools. The" Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools" report by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and recent LEED guidelines were published in the summer of 2020. Below is the highlight of both publications.
For the hyper links that cannot be clicked on this summary chart, please refer to the links below:
LEED Safety First Pilot credit: Manage Indoor Air Quality During Covid-19.
LEED v4 EQ Prerequisite: Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance
LEED v4 EQ Credit: Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan
LEED v4 EQ Credit: Indoor Air Quality Assessment
LEED v4 EA Prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance
LEED Safety First Pilot credit: Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Space Credit
Further understand on MERV and HEPA filter, see “6 Strategies to Improve Air Quality During Covid-19”
A Hypothetic Example
We did a quick study on implementing these guidelines based on Montgomery County's public school curriculum. According to the county's public schools' current curriculum subject areas, you can tell there are more science-focused than art-focused learning.
Scenario 1: Reduce the number of students in a class to keep social distancing.
To achieve this social distancing goal optimally, we recategorized the learning subjects into three areas to reduce the number of students per class. Then, we imagined two scenarios to see how that worked.
With this "not-in-class seating requirement" category in mind, the hyper-in-person learning scenario would look like the following.
We assume 20-24 students per classroom per teacher (source: National Center for Education Statistics). During the hybrid learning model, one-third to half of the original class (8-12 students) will stay in the classroom to take lessons, while the other 8-12 students will stay home to practice quizzes or do online learning. The rest of the students will take a curriculum-based, non-in-class seating class—for example, fine arts, outdoor & environmental education, or physical education.
Also, though the average class has 24 students, we suggest taking up to half of the students to a remote learning environment because certain learning subjects, such as outdoor environmental education, are limited by weather conditions.
We then rearranged the class seating layout according to the reduced student number.
Humanities subject classrooms in the secondary school have a module of approximately 30' by 32', and column spacing varies depending on the construction type. If we plan a 5-foot turning radius at the entrance and an 8-foot clear width along the lecture wall, a 960-square-foot classroom accommodates 10-16 students.
Proposed layout: 960 Square feet with 14 students
Proposed layout: 960 square feet with 10 students.
Proposed layout: 960 Square feet with 16 students for group discussion. The instructor has to bring a movable chair when staying during the group discussion.
Proposed layout: 960 Square feet with 16 students for group discussion. This scenario requires additional equipment (clear desk partitions).
Science subjects' learning spaces are similar in size but have a broader seating arrangement and laboratory counters (with sinks or other equipment). Therefore, we can maintain the existing furniture layout and allocate one spot for each counter to optimize social distancing.
Existing classroom layout: 1280 square feet with 24 students
Proposed classroom layout: 1280 square feet with 10-12 students
Scenario 2: Alternate the classroom break time not to crowd the corridor
During 6th to 12th grade, students transition from "one class in one classroom with one teacher for the entire school day" to "taking multiple courses taught by different teachers in different classrooms." This kind of learning system will result in a crowded corridor if all students leave the classroom simultaneously. (see image below)
Therefore, if we alternate the class schedule, corridor traffic during break time will be mitigated, which will also help with indoor air quality.
What's more
We just learned that Montgomery County has established a new learning program called Judy Centers and a two-way language immersion program.
The Judy Center, to honor the memory of Mrs. Judith P. Hoyer, is a locally funded early childhood and family learning hub. It is not a physical care facility but a comprehensive learning program where families can participate in their children's learning environment. This program supports the youngest learners from birth through kindergarten. The "two-way language immersion" is a whole-school model program open to students who reside between the listed schools' attendance areas.
Thanks to developed vaccines and medical technology, social distancing and remote or hybrid learning environments are no longer strictly necessary. It is said that "education is the key to a better future." Understanding various programs and flexible teaching approaches would be a stepping stone for building future learning environments.
Notes and References:
In this article, a standard classroom size was reference from article “Minimum Classroom Size and Number of Students per Classroom“.
According to the CDC’s recommendation: “Do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others if I have gotten 2 doses of the vaccine?” People who have been fully vaccinated still need to wear masks, keep social distancing, avoid crowds and avoid poorly ventilated spaces.
USGBC recently published School IAQ FactSheet. Please refer to the PDF for your reference.
First published: Feb 16,.2021, Last updated: Nov 23, 2023