Texas Border Business
PHARR – To further safeguard students and staff across the district, PSJA ISD’s Division of Operations has installed more than 600 air purifiers as an additional measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Our Electrical and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (H-VAC) teams have been working together to install our new iWave system that will help provide our students and staff with effective air purification,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “Our top priority is the health and safety of our PSJA Family and if we can give them additional peace of mind, we’ll do everything we can to do so.”
The H-VAC team has been installing iWave-C Commercial Air Cleaners, which significantly reduce a wide range of pathogens in the breathing zone and on hard non-porous surfaces, according to independent lab tests. As part of the air purification system, benefits include:
- Killing bacteria and viruses such as E. coli, Staph, MRSA and Tuberculosis
- Kills airborne mold
- Eliminating allergens, such as dust and pet odors
- Eliminating asthma attack triggers
“We’re installing the iWave-C, which is their commercial unit,” said PSJA H-VAC Lead Mechanic Severo Castillo. “The iWave purifiers work with systems up to 12 tons with no maintenance or replacement parts needed, so, this individual unit we’re installing right now is a 24-ton and we’re actually installing two of them. It works by creating ions, which cleans allergens, mold and COVID-19.”
According to PSJA Chief of Operations Hestroverto “Nick” Martinez, the H-VAC team worked with campus principals and administration to outline campus maps and determine the best locations for each unit.
“We really want our PSJA Family to have peace of mind knowing that from our buses, to the way we deliver our food, even the type of air that we are breathing, that we’re doing our best to ensure the safety and the security in the health and wellness of all our employees, staff and students,” he said.
Reopening of PSJA Schools for those who selected in-person instruction began Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. For more information about PSJA ISD’s Reopening plan and the safeguards the district is taking, please click here.
