Do-it-yourself air purifiers: Educator attitudes and perceptions in a K-12 public school district

School indoor air quality (IAQ) has long been overlooked, despite its known impact on staff and student health and academic performance. In response to heightened concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, our team partnered with a public school district (PreK–12) in Connecticut to distribute 200 low-cost, do-it-yourself Corsi-Rosenthal (C-R) box air purifiers. At the end of the 2021–2022 academic year, educators were surveyed to understand their experiences with the C-R boxes. The survey included both Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Our results show that most educators found the boxes quiet (60%), easy to move (90%), and durable (71%). 31% reported turning them off during instruction time to reduce interference with educators’ voices. Interestingly, lower-grade educators were significantly more likely than high school educators to report C-R box sound as an issue (p<0.025). Only one third of educators believed C-R boxes were a distraction. When asked about the perceived effectiveness of C-R boxes, nearly half (48%) were unsure, and many indicated an interest in learning more. Overall, educators reported that C-R boxes were low burden, easy to manage, not distracting, and a positive experience. Future work will focus on addressing the feedback around C-R box effectiveness, using objective tools to increase engagement and address concerns around maintenance. • Perceptions of C-R boxes were evaluated in a pilot feasibility study • PreK-12 th grade educators reported C-R boxes as low burden and not distracting • C-R boxes were durable, yet educators were unaware of their efficacy