WHEREAS, in furtherance of the California Democratic Party’s support of a safe, healthy and excellent public school education for all children, AB 2232 was introduced by CA Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D) and signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 29, 2022, and provides, among other things, that (1) “it is the policy of this state that school facilities be designed and operated using available measures to provide a healthy indoor environment for students, teachers, and other occupants including, but not limited to, healthy indoor air quality and adequate ventilation with outdoor air” and (2) schools install filtration that achieves MERV levels of 13 or higher when feasible”; and
WHEREAS, (1) MERV-13 or higher filtration is highly recommended by the CA Department of Public Health (“CDPH”), Department of Education, CDC, EPA, ASHRAE, and National Air Filtration Association, among others, with ASHRAE recommending MERV-14 or higher, (2) the CDPH recommends ventilation with a clean air change rate per hour (eACH) of 6 to 12, (3) studies have shown that high quality indoor air in schools decreases absenteeism, increases student, teacher and staff productivity, improves the health of students, teachers and staff, and improves student performance and outcomes, (4) in order to minimize learning loss, upgraded filtration and proper ventilation in schools are necessary to address existing and future viruses and environmentally-caused respiratory illnesses, and (5) high quality indoor air is an essential component of equity and inclusion in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Malibu Democratic Club unanimously supports the following letter from Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (“AMPS”) requesting that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (“SMMUSD”) install and maintain MERV-13 (or higher) air filtration in all SMMUSD schools (the “AMPS Letter”).
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Malibu Democratic Club requests that SMMUSD install and maintain MERV-13 (or higher) air filtration in all SMMUSD schools for the reasons set forth in the AMPS Letter.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be sent immediately to the SMMUSD School Board (brd@smmusd.org) and SMMUSD Superintendent Antonio Shelton (ashelton@smmusd.org).
AMPS Letter:
Re: Clean Air Filtration
Honorable School Board Members:
Malibu families have been made aware of SMMUSD’s decision to discontinue use of MERV-13 air filtration in all district schools, and have voiced concerns over the impact this decision could have on Malibu students, teachers and staff.
AMPS requests that the District reconsider this decision and reinstate MERV-13 filtration in all SMMUSD schools. We deem it essential that students in Santa Monica and Malibu receive the same quality indoor air as those in such neighboring districts as LAUSD, which has committed to maintaining MERV-13 as a minimum standard at all LAUSD sites. SMMUSD families should expect our District to adhere to this same high standard which the California Department of Public Health identified, as recently as August of 2023, as the “target minimum level of filtration” for clean air.
It has been demonstrated that clean air in schools is a significant factor in reducing absenteeism, learning loss and the impact of chronic health problems like asthma while increasing performance and productivity for students and staff. While Malibu and Santa Monica may have differing concerns regarding clean indoor air based on differences between our respective urban and rural environments, MERV-13 nevertheless furnishes an essential standard for both. Malibu, in particular, has been historically plagued by air quality issues related to Santa Ana wind events. Malibu’s location at the tip of one of the region’s most volatile wind corridors has contributed not only to frequent wildfires but the presence of considerable inland wildfire smoke which vents through Malibu’s canyons to its neighborhoods on the coast, including and especially the Malibu Park area which is still suffering the effects of the 2018 Woolsey Fire. This neighborhood is also home to Malibu Middle School and Malibu High School. Anything less than MERV-13 will not filter wildfire smoke. In addition to the added efficacy with respect to viruses, pollen and other microscopic pathogens, efficacy with respect to wildfire smoke is essential for any and all HVAC systems in Malibu schools.
When the new Malibu High School campus opens in August, 2025, standards for new construction will require it to have MERV-13 filtration. If the remainder of Malibu’s elementary and middle school students are denied the same air quality, it will constitute a serious issue for our community.
We respectfully request that the District reconsider this recent decision and expedite reinstallation of MERV-13 (or higher) filtration in all of our SMMUSD schools.
Kind regards,
Wade Major
President
Cc: Dr. Antonio Shelton
Isaac Burgess