Lessons with curtains and the "sauna effect": Mykolaiv schoolchildren fall ill in the shelter

At Gymnasium No. 24 in Matviivka parents of schoolchildren drew attention to the conditions for children staying in the shelter during air raid alerts. According to them, it was hot inside, a large number of children were there at the same time, and questions arose about how the ventilation was working. The situation is shown in a report by “Suspilne Mykolaiv”, and additional explanations were provided in a comment to “MykVisti” by Hanna Lychko.

According to the representative of the education department, the gymnasium initially operated in one shift. After the first week of classes the head of the institution concluded that the number of children in the shelter needed to be reduced, so the learning process was moved to two shifts.

“Last week the gymnasium operated in one shift. The education department recommended unloading the number of children in the shelters. This could be done by moving the school to two shifts. The head, based on the results of the first week of classes, saw that it was indeed necessary to study in two shifts. They are now studying in two shifts,” — said Hanna Lychko.

At the same time Hanna Lychko separately explained the situation with the ventilation. According to her, in one of the renovated shelters the ventilation system is still absent, which is why that room has not yet been put into operation. Donors are to install the necessary equipment by December 1.

“We do not accept such shelters. The donors are now promising to complete it by December 1,” — noted Hanna Lychko.

She added that the gymnasium already has another functioning shelter equipped with ventilation and with the appropriate certificate. That is the one used for children during air raid alerts. Hanna Lychko also confirmed that the ventilation in the gymnasium’s active shelter exists. According to her, the problem was not the absence of a ventilation system, but the high temperature of the air coming from outside.

Earlier the mother of an eighth-grader, Olena, said that during lessons in the shelter the children often lacked air.

“It’s like a sauna effect, very humid, there is virtually no air, the children often feel unwell, have headaches. Last year we even called an ambulance, the child felt so bad,” — she said.

According to the woman, there was also an unpleasant smell in the room, and children often fell ill after staying in the shelter. Parents also pointed to a broken window on the stairs leading to the shelter. According to Olena, it has remained damaged for over 3 years.

The mother of a third-grader, Natalia, also said that at the beginning of the school year during an alert the shelter was very hot and stuffy. According to her, later the child complained less about the conditions, but the parents believed that the ventilation system should be additionally checked.

“The children couldn’t stand it, they had headaches,” — she said.

At the start of the school year during an air raid alert 413 students and gymnasium staff descended into the shelter at the same time. Because the room was not designed for that number of people, classes were organized in 2 shifts.

Earlier the gymnasium’s principal Tamara Zherebtsova reported that the ventilation system had already been inspected. According to her, after the inspection specialists recommended raising the ventilation pipe that opens to the street in order to improve air movement.

“When the commission came, they looked at how the ventilation system works, photographed everything, examined everything, checked the documentation, and at that time we had already switched to another system, then a father came, some specialist in ventilation systems. He measured everything, and it was decided that the pipe that goes out to the street needs to be raised up so that the air rises,” — said the head of the educational institution.

At the same time Hanna Lychko clarified that all the simplest shelters that have already been accepted and are in use have ventilation. So in the case of Gymnasium No. 24 it concerns a separate renovated room that has not yet been put into operation due to the absence of the necessary ventilation equipment.

Earlier we wrote:

• Children “on top of each other”: Senkevych ordered inspections of school shelters after parents’ complaints
• In Mykolaiv, anti-radiation shelter structures have already been installed at a school
• In Mykolaiv, parents of students ask to equip a shelter for the lyceum
• After the destroyed gymnasium there wasn’t enough space for the children: the lyceum in the Korabelny district received a new shelter
• During an alert, children were taken out of the shelter: Mykolaiv parents shocked by the school’s negligence