Hello supporters – 

First off – I hope you and your family are safe + well. If you or a loved one are experiencing hardship, know that my thoughts are with you.

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting a lot of things in perspective. 

For me, it's bringing up questions like:

- Who is most important in my life, and how are my relationships with those people?

- How can I more deeply connect with and be an advocate for my communities?

- When this is all over, what kind of world will we be returning to (a more compassionate one, a more distrusting one, or a more fearful one?)

I've gone through feelings of hopelessness, of fear, of purpose, of hope– every day – since this started. 

And every day, with so much time to think, I realize I am being called to do work in this space: this space of making protecting our families and our communities a priority now and into the future.

And as a supporter of this initiative, some updates for you:

In early March, I was able to meet with Delegate Convirs-Fowler's team (Virginia State Delegate for my district). We discussed at length what this issue involves, outlined some of the key stakeholders, and had a hard conversation about what getting legislation passed actually looks like (funding, bi-partisanship, delayed enactments, etc.)

Know that while COVID-19 is absolutely the priority right now for  stakeholders, the conversation regarding CO Detectors in Virginia schools is continuing to happen. I am continuing to do reach outs and hold conversations with key players in Virginia as they are available who will be instrumental in taking this effort up a notch.

In addition to meeting with Delegate Convirs-Fowler's team, I also have had a couple of really informative meetings with NCOAA (National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association). Their research and advocacy in other areas of the country as it relates to general carbon monoxide awareness and regulations has been an eye-opening conversation.

A few of key points that came out of these meetings:

• Most CO detectors are designed to prevent deaths from high-levels of CO, not injuries from chronic exposure to low-levels. As such, home CO detectors have a time weighted average and may not alarm for 3 - 4 hours after CO levels reach 70 ppm.

• Chronic CO poisoning can occur to those exposed to continuous, slow leaks of CO that aren't picked up by the high-level detectors. Symptoms of chronic CO poisoning progress slowly and are often mistaken for other illnesses and include recurring headaches, gastrointestinal issues, behavior issues, etc. To learn more about this, visit www.ncoaa.us/symptoms

Because of this, our ask as a community will be for the BEST protection as it relates to carbon monoxide detection - not just the cheapest or most accessible.

After much research, it is evident that low-level carbon monoxide monitoring devices (not just high-level detectors) will protect our children and educators the most – and those will be a large part of our conversations and advocacy efforts as we move forward.

So: what can you do?

Many right now are just trying to hold down the fort. If that's you, we love you and are sending you strength.

But if you feel like you have some time on your hands, and want to feel like you are contributing to the well-being of our communities now and into the future, please feel free to share the petition with your network.

Many more people are online right now. We have a greater opportunity to reach folks than we did a couple of months ago.

And while I know this isn't a priority for everyone, I appreciate any attention you can give in helping this conversation grow stronger and reach more people.

With you,

Nikki