Boston Education Committee Demands BPS Action on COVID Safety and School Ventilation

BOSTON — February 14, 2023 — Boston City Council Education Committee presses BPS on masking policy and ventilation gaps ahead of February school break. Councilor Julia M. Mejia, chair of the Committee on Education, convened a three-hour hearing Tuesday on Docket 0167 — an order for a public hearing on government accountability and COVID safety in Boston Public Schools — where community advocates, nurses, and BPS officials clashed over whether the district is doing enough to protect students and staff. Brian Ford, BPS executive director of facilities, confirmed that roughly 90 percent of the district's school buildings lack full mechanical ventilation, and that the district received a $15.1 million state grant to begin assessing and upgrading those systems. Zuleika Soto, co-founder of BPS Families for COVID Safety, cited more than 18,000 lost student learning days this school year and called on BPS to require universal masking after the upcoming February break, echoing a December 2022 BTU resolution. Dr. Saimir Sanchez of the Boston Public Health Commission defended the district's mitigation record, noting more than 4,300 individuals vaccinated at 99 school-based clinics and 1.5 million rapid tests distributed. Council President Edward M. Flynn formally requested a school-by-school HVAC deficiency list within one week, a request Mejia stated on the record she expects delivered to all council members before the budget season begins.