Through Assembly Bill 2232 (AB 2232) the Legislature finds and declares that it is California policy that school facilities provide healthy indoor air quality, including adequate ventilation, to protect students, teachers, and other occupants’ health, reduce sick days, and improve student productivity and performance.
AB 2232 applies to private schools and requires them to ensure that school facilities have heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that meet specified minimum ventilation rate requirements set forth in the California Code of Regulations and to install filtration that achieves minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV) levels of 13 or higher to be feasible with the existing HVAC system as determined by the school.
If the school’s existing HVAC system is not capable of safely and efficiently providing the minimum ventilation rate, the school must ensure that its HVAC system meets the minimum ventilation rates in effect at the time the building permit for installation of that HVAC system was issued. The school must also document the HVAC system’s inability to meet the current ventilation standards set forth in the California Code of Regulations and make that documentation available to the public upon request.
If the school’s existing HVAC system is not designed to achieve MERV levels of 13 or higher, the school must install filtration that achieves the highest MERV level that the school determines is feasible without significantly reducing the lifespan or performance of the existing HVAC system.
AB 2232 also requires the California Building Standards Commission and the Division of the State Architect to research, develop, and propose for the adoption of mandatory standards for carbon dioxide monitors in classrooms in the next edition of the California Building Standards Code.
(AB 2232 adds Sections 17660 and 17661 to the Education Code.)