Add air conditioning at Bel Air Middle
I am writing on behalf of the PTA to express our support for funding to fully air condition Bel Air Middle School.
The Board of Education has requested this funding as part of an ongoing program to provide air conditioning to every Harford County public school. The request for Bel Air Middle has been made in the past, but remains unfunded. This year, in light of the county surplus, we believe the time has come to put this program back on track.
In fact, there are only six Harford County public schools that are not fully air conditioned. Two of those schools, including Bel Air Middle, are in the Bel Air High feeder system. Meaning that many students in the Bel Air community never fully experience the benefits of what is considered a basic function by modern standards.
Bel Air Middle School has a particular need for air conditioning due to the design of the building. Large glass panels absorb rather than reflect heat and the size and the placement of windows do not allow for cross-ventilation. As a result, the building is often unable to cool down, even over night.
Bel Air Middle is also is one of our most crowded schools. Imagine the impact of too many bodies forced into a hot classroom. Conditions have gotten such that tape sometimes will not stick to the walls and condensation wets the floor while fans blow papers around the room in an effort to create a feeble breeze.
Due to the change in the school calendar, these days are more frequent as classes now begin in August and end in the middle of June. At the same time, the demands of high-stakes tests proceed without regard to the temperature.
But air conditioning provides benefits beyond comfort. Air conditioning improves indoor air quality by drawing in outdoor air and circulating it throughout a building.
The Environmental Protection Agency's Tools for Schools Kit notes that poor indoor air quality can contribute to health problems for students and staff, impacting absenteeism and thereby impacting student learning.
The Harford County Detention Center, Harford County government offices, and most of our businesses and homes are all routinely equipped with air conditioning. The students and staff at Bel Air Middle School deserve no less.
In fact, in this age of accountability, we have an even greater responsibility to provide functional facilities for all public schools. Please join the Bel Air Middle School PTA in urging the county executive and the County Council to fund this vital request.
Cindy Mumby
Bel Air
The writer is legislative committee chairwoman of the Bel Air Middle School PTA.
