Classes in section of Dauphin high school moved due to air handling unit breakdown

Undated image of the Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School. (Source: Mountain View School Division/mvsd.ca)

Classes have been moved out of a section of a Dauphin high school after the air handling unit broke down.

Dan Ward, the superintendent and CEO of the Mountain View School Division, told CTV News said the air handling unit for the northeast corner of the classroom wing of Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School broke down last week before students were set to return to in-class learning.

"We have moved staff and students out of the area of the school where the air handling unit is not functioning while the unit is repaired," Ward told CTV News in an email, adding the classes were moved before students returned to the school on Jan. 17.

"Obviously, the pandemic has placed demands on our staff that have been taxing, and these recent classroom moves have added to the stress."

He said there are currently 620 students enrolled at the school designed and built for 1,200 students.

Ward said the remaining air handling units in the school are running as designed. Though this is not the first time one of the school's air handling units has broken down. Ward said the unit in the school's cafeteria failed last year.

Ward said an engineering firm recently completed an assessment of the high school in December.

"They noted that the units are aging and should be replaced, but that overall, they continue to function as designed," he said.

Ward said the division is working with an HVAC company to get replacement parts, and anticipates the repairs to the units will be completed in the next six to eight weeks. The division expects all the air handling units in the school will be replaced by the summer of 2023.

In the meantime, Ward said the school has ordered medical grade HEPA filters for the remaining classrooms until the repair is complete.

In a statement to CTV News, Manitoba Teachers' Society President James Bedford said he is aware of the situation in Dauphin.

“Effective, reliable ventilation systems are an essential component of school safety, and we’re pleased that funds continue to be made available to school divisions for necessary upgrades," Bedford said in a written statement. "Teachers look forward to transparent, timely reporting on all safety improvements as they occur."