Upper Deerfield Township School District Invests in a New Line of Defense Against Germs with Innovative Electrostatic Sprayer System

Illnesses and infections can be particularly damaging to school districts. From illness-related absenteeism to closures, schools can suffer negative effects academically and financially. Not only can student absences severely impact students' academic success and even lead to higher instances of dropouts, but, on average, teacher absence costs schools more than $25 billion annually.^[1]

With such high stakes, school districts need to be confident that their cleaning and disinfection products and protocols are up to the challenge. The illness-causing germs that often result in school-wide outbreaks such as norovirus, cold and flu can persist on surfaces from days to months. For example, influenza can survive on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours while norovirus can survive on hard surfaces from days to weeks making thorough cleaning and disinfection imperative to protecting students and staff.^[2],[3]

Knowing the negative impact illnesses can have on students' academic success in addition to schools' bottom lines, Upper Deerfield proactively purchased the Clorox^® Total 360^® System to incorporate into our current cleaning and disinfecting protocols to provide an extra line of defense against the most common culprits in the academic environment including cold, flu and norovirus.

The Clorox^® Total 360^® System works by charging and atomizing the Clorox^® disinfecting or sanitizing solution and delivering a powerful flow of the charged particles that are attracted to surfaces with a force stronger than gravity. This allows the solution to easily reach and uniformly coat surfaces, including germ hotspots like the sides, underside, and backside of surfaces that may be easily missed or cannot be reached during manual cleaning.

"Academic environments present a unique challenge for custodial staff. From shared classrooms and school supplies to shared gym equipment and toys, there are countless opportunities for germs to spread between students and staff," said Bill Widen, Certified Educational Facilities Manager at Upper Deerfield Township schools. "Due to the vast amounts of shared spaces and surfaces, the moment one student is sick the next thing you know, the entire class is sick. However, with the Clorox^® Total 360^® System we can now reach more surfaces, more quickly allowing my team to work more efficiently and effectively, providing better protection than we ever could through manual cleaning and disinfection alone."

Upper Deerfield uses the Clorox^® Total 360^® System across a wide range of frequently shared spaces including classrooms, gym locker rooms and field houses to ensure thorough cleaning and disinfection of all frequently shared surfaces and germ hot spots.    

"We use several other Clorox Professional products so the decision to invest in the Clorox^® Total 360^® System was a natural progression. We trust Clorox Professional products and in our experience, their products have always lived up to their reputation, so when we wanted to find a tool to help us cover a lot of surfaces quickly while still providing us with the efficacy needed to kill viruses and bacteria, we knew the Clorox^® Total 360^® System was the only way to go," added Widen. "My team and I strongly believe in prevention because when you are proactive, you face less problems and emergencies. This innovative technology will not only help us maintain the cleanliness in our schools but also, and more importantly, protect everyone in them."

To learn more about the Clorox^® Total 360^® System, visit www.CloroxTotal360.com.

About Upper Deerfield Township School District   
The Upper Deerfield Township School District envisions a district that will prepare students to be contributing citizens both within their school community and in the communities that represent the world in which they will live. To accomplish this, Upper Deerfield Township will maintain a staff of professionals dedicated to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the New Jersey Standards for Professional Development.

The diverse student population in Upper Deerfield Township School District has created a need for multi-faceted approach to learning. This will be an approach that encourages continued collegial interaction, enhances both student and adult learning through current educational research, offers a safe and supportive environment, and strengthens the role of parents and community members in the school setting while continuing to develop a district dedicated to the belief that life-long learning is a vital part of the educational process and will be the shared responsibility of our total school community.

^[1] How Dirty is Your Child's School." ISSA, Nov. 29, 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.issa.com/certification-standards/clean-standard-k-12/how-dirty-is-your-childs-school-infographic/how-dirty-is-your-childs-school-infographic-full.html. (Accessed Jan. 11, 2018).
^[2] Bean, B., Moore, BM., Sterner, B., Peterson, LR., Gerding, DN., and Balfour, HH Jr. "Survival of influenza viruses on environmental surfaces." J Infect Dis. 1982. 146 (1), 47-51. 
^[3] "Norovirus Illness: Key Facts." Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/downloads/keyfacts.pdf  (Accessed Jan. 11, 2018).

SOURCE Upper Deerfield Township School District

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