(KERO) — As California deals with ongoing wildfires there's a growing issue potentially affecting children.

According to a Scripps report about half of the nation's public school districts need to upgrade or replace their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

In some instances the outdated systems are creating hazardous conditions like mold.

“We would need significant investments to really bring school infrastructure up to snuff for kids, when we were thinking about COVID in particular,” said Dr. Lisa Patel, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University.

Patel says money that schools received from state and federal pandemic funding could be used toward improving those HVAC systems.

She also suggested parents getting involved with their districts to encourage them to make changes.