It’s that time of year again–cold and flu season. And that means more and more kids (and adults) will be exposed to lots of germs. As such, we have seen an uptick in a variety of seasonal illnesses in our buildings over the past several weeks. The district will continue to implement its cleaning and disinfecting protocols, which are always heightened during cold and flu season (October-April). These protocols include:
- Cleaning desktops and tables with disinfectant in every classroom nightly.
- “Fogging” in classrooms, hallways, stairwells, bathrooms, and locker rooms. This cleaning method quickly and efficiently disinfects all exposed areas by delivering environmentally safe broad spectrum disinfectants into the air as a fog.
- Cleaning and disinfecting water fountains, door knobs, and bathroom fixtures daily.
Additionally, classrooms that have sinks in them also all have soap dispensers, as do all bathrooms. The soap dispensers are refilled regularly and there are hand sanitizer dispensers in areas where access to soap and water are not readily available. All of our teachers have been encouraged to increase their classroom hand washing practices.
There are also a number of steps that students and parents can take to minimize the spread of germs:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Heavily soiled hands should be washed.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Mask wearing for anyone with lingering symptoms post-illness is recommended and appreciated, but is not required.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.