With a signature campaign, the Oberschleißheim SPD local association wants to ensure that schools and community day-care centers are still equipped with mobile air purifiers. After the majority of the municipal council rejected the purchase of mobile air purifiers for the facilities at the end of July, the local association wants to give parents and grandparents in particular, but also everyone else, the opportunity to request that the decision be withdrawn with their signature and to support the use of mobile ones Pronouncing air purifiers, as it is called in a press release by the SPD.
The local Social Democrats say they regret the decision of the municipal council very much because “there are no effective alternatives and mainly cost reasons were given to prevent the use of these filters”. The protection of “our children in classroom lessons” must have top priority, believes SPD chairman Maximilian Weiß, pointing out that the air purifiers are now being funded by the state government after a long hesitation and that Oberschleissheim has funds despite the strained budget situation.
Children, parents and teachers suffered greatly in the pandemic due to canceled lessons, homeschooling and alternating classes. That should not be repeated again, so the SPD. Rather, the use of mobile air purifiers in practice has shown how effectively these devices work. The alternative “ventilating and wearing a mask” put forward in the local council for cost reasons is far from sufficient. “There must be as large a bundle of measures as possible that, in total, minimizes the risk of infection in schools and day-care centers.” A study was already carried out last autumn in a fourth grade of elementary school in the Oberschleissheim park settlement. In cooperation with the Munich University of Applied Sciences, tests were carried out to determine whether air purification devices could be operated in such a way that they would not disrupt lessons. Unlike in some other municipalities, however, no equipment for regular use was purchased in Oberschleißheim.
In the community, the signature lists for the action of the SPD are now to be displayed, lists are also available on the Internet https://spd-oberschleissheim.de/news/unterschriftenaktion-der-spd-oberschleissheim/ available for download. In addition, the SPD wants to provide information on the topic at stands in order to motivate as many people as possible to work together to equip the local daycare centers and classrooms with air purifiers. These could help to allow care and face-to-face teaching to take place even with increasing incidences.