CSD Facilities and Operations Response to COVID-19

  • In November of 2020, the CSPC Mitigation Sub-Committee: 

    • A thorough review of the CSD COVID-19 Safety, Facilities, and Healthy Schools Manual

    • Vetted the mitigation strategies already-in-place

    • Made recommendations for enhancements to further improve what is already in place

    • Recognized what we are already doing what is above and beyond what other school districts are doing

     

    CSD’s mitigation strategies are actions that staff, students, and families can take to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, and can include:

    • Cohorting

    • Use of mask and personal protection equipment (PPE)

    • Physical distancing: 6 feet between individuals

    • Increase ventilation

    • Enhanced hygiene and disinfection procedures

    • Contract tracing

    • Quarantine/isolation procedures

    • Strict restriction of visitors to schools and administrative sites

    • Tool to measure and monitor mitigation via building checklists


    Guiding Principles: Mitigation and Transmission

    • We cannot control mitigation in the community.
    • We can control mitigation in our school.
    • Schools are not a major venue for COVID transmission where effective mitigation is in place.
    • CSD has and will continue to implement highly effective mitigation strategies.
    • Cohorting is an important mitigant we can implement K-5 at this time.
    • Students learn best alongside peers with a teacher in the room with them.

    Swiss Cheese Model of Layered Mitigation for Schools (related to COVID-19)

    The above information was updated on December 9, 2020 from the information presented during the December 8, 2020 Board of Education meeting. 

     

    CSD Facilities and Operations Response to COVID-19

    The CSD Facilities and Operations department, which includes our custodians, maintenance staff, bus drivers, nutrition staff and more, have been working diligently to take smart steps to minimize the risk of COVID around our district's our buildings and buses. These steps include but are not limited to:

    • Frequent cleaning and disinfecting. 
    • Continuous sanitizing of high touch areas.
    • Installing sneeze guards at every front office.
    • Installing sneeze guards for all K-5 schools shared student tables.
    • Providing hand sanitizing stations and portable sinks throughout our school. 
    • Students and staff are required to wear face masks. While we strongly recommend all students bring their own masks, we have over 30,000 disposable masks that will be available on buses and in schools for children who forget their masks. 
    • Enhanced hygiene protocols such as hand sanitizer stations, scheduled handwashing times for younger students, and encouraging older students to wash their hands as frequently as possible. 
    • Ventilation systems frequently monitored for proper operation and Global Cold Plasma Air Purification Systems being installed in every CSD school. More information found below. 
    • Regular disinfecting with our three Clorox electrostatic fogger disinfecting machine after every bus route and in every CSD school. Find more information, see below and the link below.

     

    Global Cold Plasma Air Purification Systems: 

    The global cold plasma air purification system uses the positive and negative hydrogen and oxygen ions to oxidize and break down odors like ammonia, formaldehyde, etc. into compounds with no odor like H20, CO2, N2, and O2. The electron volts are low enough (<12 Ev) so that it doesn’t produce ozone in this process.

    It also attacks the DNA/RNA structure of single cell pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and mold spores, and it charges small particles positive and negative so that they are attracted to each other and agglomerate together to either precipitate out of the air or get caught in the HVAC air filter. The benefit of the bipolar ionization over UV-C is that it travels with the air stream into the space so it can treat a larger area than a UV light which only affects what it shines on for as long as it shines on it in a flat surface. And you don’t have to worry about replacing a lamp every 1-2 years. https://www.plasma-air.com/how-it-works

    Clorox electrostatic fogger disinfecting machine 

    CSD will use the first system that pairs an electrostatic sprayer with a portfolio of Clorox® disinfectants and sanitizers. Electrostatic technology enables superior coverage of trusted Clorox® solutions in hard-to-reach places — the side, underside and backside of surfaces. Using the Clorox® Total 360® Electrostatic Sprayer to apply Clorox® Total 360® Disinfectant Cleaner4 eliminates odors and gives you a healthier facility this cold and flu season. The unit can spray sanitizer that may be used inside kitchens but, the main use for us will be disinfecting to kill viruses.

    Clorox 360 electrostatic fogger information

     

    The information above was created in August 2020.