Fellowes' Annual "Clean Air Survey of North American Educators" Highlights Teachers' Concerns About Indoor Air Quality
ITASCA, Ill., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fellowes, a fourth-generation workplace solutions corporation specializing in advanced air quality management, today released the results of its third annual Clean Air Survey of North American Educators. The findings reveal that teachers across the United States and Canada are deeply concerned about the quality of their classroom air and believe school districts must do more to address the issue.
The survey, which included responses from more than 1,200 K-12 educators, underscores the critical role of clean air in fostering healthy and productive learning environments. Key findings include:
- A Right to Breathe Clean Air: Nearly all teachers (99%) believe "clean indoor air is a right" that is essential for the well-being of students and staff.
- Poor Air Quality Ratings: Only 36% of teachers in the United States and just 13% in Canada rate the air quality in their classrooms as "good" or "excellent."
- Health Concerns: A significant majority (83%) of teachers are worried that poor indoor air quality contributes to respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
- Lack of Resources: Nearly half (46%) of educators report their school as lacking the necessary technology to improve indoor air quality and only 23% of teacher requests for indoor air quality improvements were granted.
The results of this year's survey show an evident disparity between air quality needs and solutions. Nearly 36% of educators shared that their schools made no improvements to indoor air quality from 2023, and the lack of air purifiers rose — in 2023, 40% of educators reported the absence of air purification units in their schools, which has since risen by 6%.
"Research consistently shows that poor indoor air quality can hinder cognitive function, directly impacting students' ability to learn," said Jason Jones, Director of Air Quality Management at Fellowes. "Implementing air quality solutions in schools isn't just an investment in infrastructure; it's a simple and cost-effective step that districts can take to safeguard the health and well-being of students and staff while fostering their success."
As part of the survey, educators shared personal experiences with classroom air quality. Teachers described issues, such as frequent personal illnesses they attribute to poor air quality, and frustration with outdated infrastructure, including windows that do not open and visible mold in their room. Only 9% of teachers in the United States and 35% in Canada state that they have an air purifier in their classroom, whether provided by the school or purchased personally. Several respondents expressed concerns about schools failing to maintain filters in provided air purifiers while others indicated vents are visibly dust-clogged.
Fellowes has been a leader in indoor air purification for more than 15 years. During this time, the company has placed more than 400,000 air purification units in K-12 schools throughout the United States, emphasizing the critical importance of clean indoor air for the health and productivity of students, teachers and staff members. Fellowes offers multiple air quality solutions, including their newest solution — Array — which combines advanced purifiers, sensors, and monitoring software to create an integrated solution for healthier air in schools, businesses, hospitals and more, while complementing existing HVAC systems.
To read the full results of the Clean Air Survey of North American Educators, visit Fellowes.
About Fellowes
Celebrating its 108th year under the private ownership and executive leadership of the Fellowes family, Fellowes is a global leader and trusted partner that provides product solutions to fulfill a broad range of WorkLife needs that enable greater productivity, wellness, and inspiration. Throughout its history, Fellowes has been grounded in its purpose to "serve at the intersection of family, innovation, quality and care."
Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, USA, Fellowes operates from 24 locations across the globe. For more information, please visit Fellowes.com.
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Samantha Dillie, Core Creative, 1 4142167659, [email protected]
SOURCE Core Creative
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