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Sonoma County Schools Air Quality Guidance
Updated 6/15/2021
About the Guidelines
● These guidelines were modified from Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Centers for Disease
Control’s Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools and Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health
Officials and are in accordance with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s guidelines for schools.
● They were developed through a collaboration of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Bay Area
Air Quality Management District, the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NSCAPCD), and
the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE).
● They are meant to assist school districts in making decisions when air quality is poor. School closure is
ultimately a district-by-district decision based on local conditions.
● Children are considered more sensitive to smoke because their developing lungs and heightened activity
make them more sensitive to the impacts of smoke.
● Families always have the right to keep their children home if they are concerned for their child’s health and are
encouraged to talk with their child's pediatrician and school administrator/teacher if they wish to do so.
Choosing to Use the Guidelines
● School districts will monitor the air quality index (AQI) using EPA’s AQI monitoring tools at Fire.AirNow.gov,
which aggregates data from Purpleair.com and Airnow.gov.
● School activities and closures decisions will be made based on fire.airnow.gov measurements and local
conditions, such as the availability/quality of air filtration and direct observation of indoor/outdoor air quality.
● School districts will report any school closures to SCOE for media notification.
● School districts will announce any closures to families using normal school closure procedures.
● Children with respiratory or heart conditions are vulnerable to poor air quality and may require extra
precautions. School districts should advise parents to consult with their child's health care provider.
About Masks
●When air is unhealthy, the best protection is to reduce physical activity and stay indoors with windows and
doors closed, in a location with well-filtered air. If indoor temperature is high, get to a location with cleaner,
filtered air such as a public library, shopping mall or other building with HVAC system filtration.
●Masks have limitations. Surgical gauze masks provide limited protection from smoke. N95 respirators are
designed for professional use by trained adults and are not intended for children. No N95 respirators are
currently certified for use by children. There is insufficient data to support the benefit to children of prolonged
use of N95 respirators in wildfire smoke events.
● While face coverings are still required for protection against COVID-19, cloth or medical procedure (surgical)
masks will still provide the best protection against the virus for children and may afford SOME protection
against smoke.
●Masks must be kept clean and replaced frequently to be effective.
Recommendations for Ensuring Cleaner Air at School
● Install and maintain HVAC air conditioning system with high-quality HEPA air filters that have medium or high
efficiency. EPA recommendations for air filtration are given here.
●Consider installing indoor air quality monitors to assess indoor air quality throughout the day.
●Install portable, non-ozone-forming HEPA air purifiers in classrooms where possible. See approved filters here.
●Check manufacturer instructions to ensure that portable filters are sized correctly for the room.
●Ensure doors and windows are sealed tightly. Minimize air movement in and out of room.
●Some brief outdoor exposure during smoke events may be necessary and acceptable to transport children to
and from school or in-between classes in outdoor passageways. Keep these exposures as brief as possible and
consider encouraging the use of masks during these times, if appropriate.
● These guidelines were modified from Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Centers for Disease
Control’s Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools and Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health
Officials and are in accordance with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s guidelines for schools.
● They were developed through a collaboration of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Bay Area
Air Quality Management District, the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NSCAPCD), and
the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE).
● They are meant to assist school districts in making decisions when air quality is poor. School closure is
ultimately a district-by-district decision based on local conditions.
● Children are considered more sensitive to smoke because their developing lungs and heightened activity
make them more sensitive to the impacts of smoke.
● Families always have the right to keep their children home if they are concerned for their child’s health and are
encouraged to talk with their child's pediatrician and school administrator/teacher if they wish to do so.
Choosing to Use the Guidelines
● School districts will monitor the air quality index (AQI) using EPA’s AQI monitoring tools at Fire.AirNow.gov,
which aggregates data from Purpleair.com and Airnow.gov.
● School activities and closures decisions will be made based on fire.airnow.gov measurements and local
conditions, such as the availability/quality of air filtration and direct observation of indoor/outdoor air quality.
● School districts will report any school closures to SCOE for media notification.
● School districts will announce any closures to families using normal school closure procedures.
● Children with respiratory or heart conditions are vulnerable to poor air quality and may require extra
precautions. School districts should advise parents to consult with their child's health care provider.
About Masks
●When air is unhealthy, the best protection is to reduce physical activity and stay indoors with windows and
doors closed, in a location with well-filtered air. If indoor temperature is high, get to a location with cleaner,
filtered air such as a public library, shopping mall or other building with HVAC system filtration.
●Masks have limitations. Surgical gauze masks provide limited protection from smoke. N95 respirators are
designed for professional use by trained adults and are not intended for children. No N95 respirators are
currently certified for use by children. There is insufficient data to support the benefit to children of prolonged
use of N95 respirators in wildfire smoke events.
● While face coverings are still required for protection against COVID-19, cloth or medical procedure (surgical)
masks will still provide the best protection against the virus for children and may afford SOME protection
against smoke.
●Masks must be kept clean and replaced frequently to be effective.
Recommendations for Ensuring Cleaner Air at School
● Install and maintain HVAC air conditioning system with high-quality HEPA air filters that have medium or high
efficiency. EPA recommendations for air filtration are given here.
●Consider installing indoor air quality monitors to assess indoor air quality throughout the day.
●Install portable, non-ozone-forming HEPA air purifiers in classrooms where possible. See approved filters here.
●Check manufacturer instructions to ensure that portable filters are sized correctly for the room.
●Ensure doors and windows are sealed tightly. Minimize air movement in and out of room.
●Some brief outdoor exposure during smoke events may be necessary and acceptable to transport children to
and from school or in-between classes in outdoor passageways. Keep these exposures as brief as possible and
consider encouraging the use of masks during these times, if appropriate.
| sonoma_county_air_quality_guidance_2021.pdf |
