Sanitization

The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets. Having students and staff sanitize themselves, objects in classrooms, and high-touch surfaces reduces the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Key Recommendations

Prepare a schedule for hand-washing/sanitizing.
Place hand sanitizer in key locations in the building (e.g., entryways, bathrooms, classrooms).
Train staff and students on proper hand-washing and hand sanitizing procedures.
- Plain soap is preferable to antibacterial soap.
- Students under age 6 should only use hand sanitizer with adult supervision.
Educate staff and students to:
- Use smiles, waves, and thumbs-up instead of hugs, handshakes, and high-fives.
- Avoid sharing food, drinks, or utensils.
For each school, determine the quantities needed of cleaning solutions and supplies, and protective equipment for custodial staff.
Develop a protocol for classroom/school cleaning and disinfecting when a positive COVID-19 case (student or staff) is identified.
Develop a protocol for bus sanitization (method, frequency, etc.).
Determine how frequently various surfaces will need to be cleaned, including manipulatives (e.g., toys, equipment).
Ensure each student has their own supplies. Maintain separation of individual students’ belongings.
Provide disposable disinfectant wipes for individuals to use before using shared objects. Place items in storage that are difficult to sanitize between uses.
For shared printed materials such as books, adopt “material quarantine” policy (e.g. consider creating a separate shelf for each day’s return and rotate availability).

Reflection Points for Teams

Which hand cleanings will be done with soap (e.g., after using the bathroom) compared to with hand sanitizer (e.g., entering the school/classroom)? If soap and water can’t be accessed without bathroom crowding, provide hand sanitizer for hand-washing.
Are there enough custodians to implement our ideal cleaning protocol? If not, can we use staff and students to help with the cleaning?
What are the budget implications of providing supplies for each child? Can supplies be donated?
Are families asked to provide materials? If so, develop a process for purchasing and allocating supplies to families most in need (e.g. qualifying for free/reduced lunch).

Ideas

Hold a Zoom webinar to educate parents and students on new hand-washing protocols.
To efficiently sanitize students’ hands as they enter school, try the “assembly line” method: funnel children through a line and have a staff member squirt hand sanitizer into their hands as they pass by.
Provide each student with a box or a bag for their supplies.
Set up loaner computers for a student for the whole day and sanitize after school.
Consider going “paperless” as developmentally appropriate.
Part of students’ daily chores can include cleaning.

Starting Point Tools

The following resources offer starting points for educators to implement strong hygiene practices in school for themselves, their students, and their classrooms. These comprise of practitioner toolkits, videos, documents, articles, and more to provide actionable next steps.

(We will continue to update these as we continue to learn about additional tools)