CENTRAL QUÉBEC SCHOOL BOARD
Results of all CQSB C02 Levels

In accordance with the ministerial guideline received, we recently carried out in all our establishments, carbon dioxide (CO2) testing to verify the air quality.

These results have already been sent to the ministère de l'Éducation and we would like to share them with you.

Each of our schools and centre were tested, according to the guidelines implemented by the ministère de l'Éducation, four to five classrooms per school were chosen. The classrooms were selected in function of their geographic orientation, floor and grade level. We are pleased to report that over than three quarters of the results obtained in the classes were below the recommended 1,000 ppm (parts-per-million) for academic success. We note that the various communiqués sent regarding the importance of opening windows and the ventilation of the found a listening ear with the majority of the Central Québec School Board (CQSB) staff.

In the case of establishments with mechanical ventilation, we ensured their proper functioning and efficiency. According to the level of carbon dioxide measures in the air ducts, we reviewed the start and end times of these ventilation systems to lengthen the air change period and increased the supply of fresh air.

Analysis procedure:

Given the extensive territory of the CQSB, we took the decision to give the mandate to a firm specializing in air quality. For each of the designated classrooms, the CO2 levels were measured three times; once before the start of class, a second in the middle of the period and a last one, 20 minutes following the opening of the windows. Note that the ministère de l'Éducation judges that CO2 concentrations inferior to 1,500 ppm are acceptable.

The Central Québec School Board is committed to continue working on improving its air quality on an ongoing basis to guarantee a healthy and safe environment for all its staff and students. Also, we are currently working on the implementation of corrective actions to ensure that all our classrooms in our establishments are within the required targets by the ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur.

Read the full press release.