Preventing Childhood Illness: Simple Steps for Schools

With the SARS-CoV-2 virus sending the world into full-fledged quarantines, schools are in greater need than ever to employ simple steps to help prevent the spread of illness among young students when they reconvene. Let's look at how to prevent childhood illness.

Foot Operated Door Openers

A small ledge at the bottom of commonly used doors is a highly beneficial and cost-effective measure. It helps prevent illness by minimizing touch contact. Installing such ledges under bathroom doors enables opening without touching the handle offering easy, hands-free access.

Frequently Sanitizing Toilet Partition Door Handles

Toilet partitions are typically out of sight and out of mind. But at some point or another everyone in the school will end up touching the door handle and locking mechanisms of the partition doors. This is what's known to hospital sanitation experts as a "high touch" point in the building's architecture. Schools need to make sure details like these aren't neglected when sanitizing throughout the building.

Hands-Free Sanitizer and Soap Dispensers

Any chance to keep hands off of publicly used objects is a chance to fend off the spread of viruses and bacteria. By placing hands-free dispensers in hallways, bathrooms, and even classrooms faculty can make sure that all opportunities to kill hand bacteria is taken care of at the source.

Air-dryers

Another great example of using hands-free technology to improve overall safety and keep students at school and healthy. While installation and immediate costs can often times make faculty nervous about switching to this eco-friendly option, the long-term benefits are incredibly overpowering. Not only do you decrease the spread of bacteria by applying air pressure at temperatures most germs can’t live in, but you’re also saving money that you would normally spend on paper alternatives. Also doesn’t hurt to have an easy way to warm your hands up during the cold winter months.

Excused Sick Days

Education experts advocate for maximizing school days, but strict attendance enforcement can force sick students to attend, increasing infection rates. This results in widespread childhood illness among students and faculty, as viruses spread easily in a larger group. Encouraging strict attendance may paradoxically lead to more absenteeism overall.

Think about these helpful tips and talk with your faculty and local Board of Education about how you can implement some, or all, of them to improve your school’s health and safety.