What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies are being provided to schools?
By Monday, Aug. 10, all schools will receive the following:
- Two cloth masks for every employee in the District
- One clear face shield for every teacher
- Plexiglass for public-facing offices, reception desks, and other key locations
- Two 8 oz. bottles of hand-sanitizer per elementary classroom, which will be refilled nightly by sweepers, and additional bottles throughout school and office buildings. Middle and high schools will receive one gallon jug of hand-sanitizer per classroom, and additional bottles throughout the school. By October, we also hope to have pump hand-sanitizers hanging inside each classroom districtwide.
- Each classroom will be provided a spray bottle of peroxide-based sanitizer and cleaning towels which are safe to use during the school day to wipe down desks and other high-touch points.
- Disinfecting wipes will be provided to every classroom and office for use throughout the day. The active ingredient, a Quaternary Ammonium compound, is EPA- and CDC-approved for use with COVID-19.
Additional Protective materials available upon request:
- Non-latex gloves
- Additional face shields for faculty and staff
Will the District make N95 masks available?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has requested that the general public reserve N95 respirator masks for health care workers. A small supply of these masks have been provided to School Nurses, but they are not recommended for daily use outside of health care.
Will the District require students and school staff to wear face coverings? If so, how is that being enforced?
Canyons District schools and facilities are adhering to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s order requiring the use of face coverings in K-12 schools. It is expected that every student and employee in a school facility or on a school bus will wear a face covering. Schools, however, will make accommodations for students with disabilities and special medical or mental health needs, which often can be handled through the use of face shields or alternative protections. Students may remove face coverings while eating lunch and participating in outdoor recess, provided they are able to maintain adequate physical distancing. Canyons District’s Responsive Services Department is providing guidance to schools for managing non-compliance.
Will the District be practicing physical distancing?
Classroom seating will be set up to allow for the maximum amount of space between students, excess furniture will be removed, and large congregation areas may be used for instructional purposes. Plexiglass barriers, directional signage and physical distancing markers will be strategically placed to promote physical distancing in high-traffic areas. Districtwide, visitors will be limited to buildings and undergo temperature checks. Those displaying symptoms will be asked not to enter CSD buildings. Families are asked to monitor their children for symptoms and perform daily temperature checks each morning before school. Extra cleaning and physical distancing precautions will be put into place in higher-risk courses, such as choir or physical education, which involves high respiratory output.
What are schools doing to sanitize, disinfect and prevent the spread of disease?
Our COVID-19 Back-to-School Action Plan calls for all schools and buses to be cleaned throughout the day, paying special attention to high touch points, such as desks, doors knobs and drinking fountains. Teachers will be provided peroxide-based spray sanitizer and ammonia-based wipes for use in the classrooms throughout the day. Custodial crews will perform additional cleaning at night using the following hospital-grade sanitizers and disinfectants. The District has adopted the use of electrostatic sprayers that emit a fog of EPA- and CDC-approved disinfectant commonly used in hospitals, child care centers, food and beverage processing plants and veterinary clinics. The active ingredient, an oxidizing agent known as NaDCC/(HOCL), is safer and more effective than bleach. This allows the sanitizer to adhere to all surfaces thereby decreasing the likelihood of any virus or bacteria surviving. All schools currently have at least one of these devices.
Protexus Electrostatic Sprayer Victory Electrostatic Sprayer
The District has a collection of Tri Jet Ozone Foggers that can sanitizing large spaces in a short period with no residual chemical issues.
The District also has Aqua Ozone Foggers for use on our school buses in between runs as well as in restrooms, cafeterias and kitchens.
Is it OK for classrooms to accept donated cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes?
No. We are asking that all donations of sanitizing solutions and disinfectants be directed to each school’s Main Office or the Canyons Education Foundation. Main Office and Foundation personnel will send the donated items to the Central Warehouse, which will sort them for redistribution. Dangerous chemical interactions can occur when cleaning solutions of unknown origin are mixed. For this reason, the Facilities Department is asking staff and faculty to use only those cleaning solutions provided by the District. If you have special need for cleaning supplies, please contact the Central Warehouse.
How do school air filtration systems work?
The air filtration, or HVAC, systems in our schools constantly pull outside air into the buildings through regularly serviced air filters. This fall, the District will cycle air more frequently through HEPA-grade filters and keep systems running into the night and on weekends when fan speeds would normally be reduced to conserve energy. Increased airflow and filtration will happen in portable classrooms as well.
How will lunch and recess work?
Because schools vary in enrollment and the layout and size of their facilities, each school has been tasked with designing lunch, recess and other operational plans with an eye toward maximizing physical distancing and discouraging the congregation of students. Schools will publish those plans no later than Aug. 1.
What steps are being taken to safeguard students on buses?
Our COVID-19 Back-to-School Action Plan calls for all buses to be cleaned between routes and at the end of each day with hospital-grade sanitizers and disinfectants. Bus drivers will wipe down handrails and other high-touch points, and spray down every seat after students exit the bus. Buses will be stocked with hand sanitizer. Drivers will wear gloves and face coverings or shields, and students will be expected to wear face coverings. Families are asked to monitor their children for symptoms and perform daily temperature checks each morning before school.
