Back in class!

Let's stay there and be healthy! Helping you return to in-person learning is our passion. From implementing the right technologies, strategies, and services to combat the ongoing threat of COVID to visioning your smart school or campus, we partner with you to create learning environments that are safe, healthy and comfortable – as well as connected and smart.

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Learn more about our solutions for schools and campuses

Every school has a story, and the learning environment is an important part of that story.  We can create a quality learning environment for both K-12 and Higher Education facilities in which students, teachers and administrators are comfortable, safe and secure.

Smart Infrastructure for Education

Children in classroom

Transforming Educational Spaces Beyond COVID-19

Read the article from Ruth Gratzke, President of Siemens Smart Infrastructure U.S., about the variety of ways that federal COVID-19 relief funds can be used by schools, colleges and universities to address needs in response to the pandemic and create safe, healthy in-person learning environments.

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We can help

Keeping educators and students safe and healthy

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For all educational institutions, there's a larger opportunity to improve infrastructure and create the optimal learning environment, learn how!

We know ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) are more important than ever. We also know that it’s important to not only have the technology to mitigate COVID, but to have the “behind-the-scenes” know-how of building systems, from ventilation and filtration to control strategies, and how they can be optimized. Most importantly, is implementing the right technologies and strategies as soon as possible to ensure the safety of your school or campus.

 

teacher teaching students in classroom

Helping schools stay in-person

Learn how the Northwest Catholic School Board leveraged the latest in AI control strategies to keep students and educators safe and save energy in the long term.

Download case study

 

Learn how Memphis Scholars implemented an indoor air quality solution to bring students and educators back.  

Download the case study

 

Grading your schoolroom’s air

The focus that COVID-19 has brought to the management of school buildings, and, specifically, to indoor air quality (IAQ) into focus.  Learn more

 

Education Department gives schools guidelines to upgrade ventilation

New guidance for schools, colleges, and universities on how to use federal funding to optimize their ventilation systems.  Learn more

Students taking test in classroom

Keeping students on campus

Learn how Molloy College re-opened their dormitories for students. Listen in to the podcast with Molloy College President Dr. James Lentini

 

Why investing in ventilation could pay dividends for learning

With the spotlight on the importance of ventilation in the ongoing fight against COVID variants, learn why indoor air quality (IAQ) is so important to learning and why improvements you make now go far beyond today.  Learn more

 

Indoor air quality is more important than ever for our education environments  Learn more

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In the spotlight

On March 17, 2022, the White House launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, a key component of the President's Plan, that calls on schools and colleges and universities to adopt key strategies to improve indoor air quality in their buildings and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

 

The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge is a call to action to assess their indoor air quality and make ventilation and air filtration improvements to help keep occupants safe. As part of the Challenge, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a best practices guide for improving indoor air quality and reducing the risk of spreading dangerous airborne particles. This guide developed in collaboration with the Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal agencies. Siemens is proud to be a partner in supporting schools and campuses in meeting the goals of this challenge.

 

The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides additional funding for education in the form of $500 million in grants to be used to improve the energy efficiency and renewable energy infrastructure at public school facilities for both K12 and higher education. This additional funding through the State Energy Offices provides $100 million each year from 2022-2026 with eligible use for renovation, repair, and improvement funding needs that focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. This funding, combined with significant unspent federal COVID relief funding, can be leveraged by schools and colleges and universities to improve educational infrastructure. Additionally, the Clean School Bus Program is also supported through state and local government to award grants and rebates to replace existing school buses with clean school buses and zero-emission school buses.

Resources you need now

How do I know what’s right for my school, district, or campus?

Picture of an elementary school girl in the hallway with her friends, smiling and social distancing wth masks

Where do I start?

Each building is unique, but the primary strategies are to help mitigate virus spread and improve the ventilation in our indoor learning and living  environments. To help ensure this, a combination of innovative technology solutions, strategies and services can be leveraged depending on your specific needs, age of the buildings, etc.

 

That’s why it’s important to have a partner who is experienced and knowledgeable with ASHRAE standards, as well as having the latest toolset of proven technology solutions and strategies in-hand.

 

Download Guidelines for K12 Schools Flyer

Download Guidelines for Colleges and Universities Flyer

 

Need help now?

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Federal Relief for Education

The American Rescue Plan includes nearly $170 billion for education. This is in addition to the two previous pieces of legislation passed in 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA).
 

The Department of Education emphasize the importance of proper school ventilation in their report.

 
Links to apply for this funding from the Department of Education can be found below:

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund

Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF II) Fund

Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER II) Fund

College students social distancing on campus while studying

Here's the latest

On January 6th, 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for Covid-19 prevention in K-12 schools, aligning the recommendations with the agency's recently updated Covid-19 quarantine and isolation guidelines for the general public. It also expands its recommendations for screening testing and urges canceling or going virtual with some extracurricular and sports activities in order to protect in-person learning.


CDC Recommendations and Resources

Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools

CDC Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation

CDC Resources for Higher Education

CDC Guidelines for Ventilation in Buildings

 

ASHRAE

ASHRAE Recommendations

According to the U.S. Green Building’s Council IAQ Schools Survey and Report (Released April 29, 2021), "As schools re-open and develop health and safety plans to mitigate airborne transmission of COVID-19, many are prioritizing and upgrading current HVAC systems to provide the highest indoor air quality for building occupants," said Corey Metzger, ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force Schools team lead. "We know that improved indoor air quality has a positive impact on student performance and general well-being and I’m hopeful that more schools will consider and implement the guidance provided by ASHRAE."

 

ASHRAE Guidance
Preparation in the Pandemic: How Schools Implemented Air Quality Measures to Protect Occupants from COVID-19

Core Recommendations for Reducing Airborne Infectious Aerosol Exposure

ASHRAE Guidance for Building Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ASHRAE: Guidelines for Schools and Universities

Take a closer look

Technology that’s transforming the every day

Students do their best learning in school – but only when the building is as safe and healthy as possible. Optimal ventilation, combined with other mitigation efforts, is at the heart of reopening education as safely as possible. Manually implementing controls strategies to align with ASHRAE’s recommendations, however, may be time consuming and difficult – but it’s exactly the type of problem that artificial intelligence and machine learning were intended to solve. Dynamic VAV Optimization applies AI to intelligently harmonize temperature, humidity, and outdoor / fresh air based on building priorities. Better still, it’s an easily deployed solution that schools love. Learn more

How smart is that? How AI can help beat COVID transmission and improve energy efficiency

As schools and campuses return, there’s still some anxiety around COVID-19. To date, navigating decisions on building operations has proven to be dynamic and challenging to meet the latest CDC recommendations and ASHRAE guidelines for Ventilation. However, we’ve learned with challenges is opportunity to take a leap forward using technology, along with lessons learned. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can not only help us now, but also help us move to a smarter operating model that offers safety, energy efficiency, and greater sustainability. 

Be in the know

Webinars and Virtual Events

How you can leverage your existing HVAC system and control strategies to optimize indoor air quality

As education returns to facilities, navigating decisions on building operations has proven to be extremely challenging. Learn how to implement the latest ASHRAE & CDC recommendations to your HVAC control sequences and help ensure systems are functioning properly without extensive building commissioning; leverage machine learning to create healthier indoor environments without compromising occupant comfort, and how to continue to get value from these strategies moving forward.

Using Data Insights to Drive Healthy and Productive Buildings

The impact of occupant health based on indoor air quality (IAQ) can significantly affect a building’s ability to reopen and stay open in the future. Solving these challenges requires a new way of thinking in facility management. State-of-the-art digital building technologies make sense of data stored in devices and systems, reducing data complexity, and automating data handling to deliver real-time building intelligence for smarter, more responsive building decisions that keep occupant health top of mind.

Reopen Education: What congressional COVID funding means for Higher Ed

As the pandemic shut down campuses across the country, higher education institutions have faced unprecedented financial strain. Now with billions in federal funding available to colleges and universities to promote student health and academic success, administrators are making tough decisions on how best to balance these resources with the tremendous need across all areas.

Let’s get digital!

Innovative technology can rock your students’ world and yours, too! With challenging times, come leaps forward in innovation & technology. An IoT platform can address COVID-related issues now and deliver ongoing benefits for your building and classroom – even with lesson plans.  In addition to efficiencies & savings from updated lighting, controls, HVAC controls and space utilization, an IoT platform can offer a living lab for students & educators, to prepare them for the work force of tomorrow.

Classrooms after COVID-19: Unpacking the safe return to school

The debate over reopening America's classrooms has picked up steam, with concerned educators, parents, and policymakers all navigating how to safely return to in-person learning. The CDC recently announced their recommendation on school re-openings and making decisions based on community transmission rates. 

 

Why it matters: From air circulation and temperature testing to how the government is supporting these efforts, learn about the safety protocols are being implemented and how.

Strategies for Funding: 2021 & Beyond — Smart Infrastructure & Deferred Maintenance

Learn about creative financing strategies trending nationally in Higher Ed to plan and execute campus improvements. Adaptive financing approaches make projects feasible and can reframe strategic planning and budgeting long-term to combat significant deferred maintenance backlogs that strain equipment and staff, impair building comfort, and prevent campus modernization.

The technology to reopen education

The Optimistic Outlook with Barbara Humpton

Barbara Humpton, USA President and CEO, looks at what it takes to bring back in-person learning across schools, colleges and universities.
The Optimistic Outlook with Barbara Humpton: The Technology to Reopen Education

Focus on higher education 

Molloy College President Dr. James Lentini joins the podcast alongside Siemens’ Fred James and David Santo to talk about the air purification and technology partnership helping Molloy College expand in-person learning with confidence this spring.

The Optimistic Outlook: Part 2 with Jon Stonier, Augusta School Department Director of Building and Grounds

Focus on K-12 schools 

Barbara turns her focus to K-12 schools, highlighting the reopening story of public schools in Augusta, ME. Jon Stonier, Augusta School Department Director of Building and Grounds, and Siemens’ Erik Matzell, Senior Sales Executive, join the show to talk about the school system’s focus on technology and infrastructure.

The Optimistic Outlook podcast: Part 3: The technology to reopen education

What does the future hold?

Is this a generational opportunity? For the last episode of the series, Barbara talks to John Macomber, a Harvard Business School lecturer and co-author of “Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity,” to explore how addressing the immediate need to reopen schools nationwide could actually benefit students, teachers and administrators for many years to come. 

Resources for your re-opening

Infographics

Create a safe, healthy environment for learning

For both K-12 schools and Higher Education campuses, we take a holistic approach to creating safe and healthy environments for students and educators.
Infographic: Come back with confidence to safe, healthy school environments
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Infographic: Come back with confidence to safe, healthy school environments
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Contact Us

Back in class!

Contact us for assistance in navigating the best practices, available funding for your institution, and the right technology solutions and strategies for your school or campus.
Sourcewell Awarded Contract Logo

Cooperative Purchasing Contracts with Sourcewell

Even with allocated federal funding now available for education, using a Sourcewell Purchasing Contract can accelerate this process. This vehicle allows schools, colleges and universities to purchase solutions, equipment and services through a pre-negotiated contract vehicle, saving time and eliminating the RFP process. This applies to planned or actionable projects due to the pandemic that can improve the health and safety of your institutions.  

Learn more about Sourcewell contracts