School fights illness with cleanings, foggers, common sense

Protecting students and staff at Chase County Schools is a high priority.
Typically, this is the time of the school year when seasonal illnesses are most prevalent.
“We have been seeing all kinds of ‘winter stuff’ like strep throat, gastrointestinal illness, influenza, colds and COVID,” said Angie Paisley, school nurse.
Parents can help by keeping students home if they are feeling ill with a temperature or demonstrating flu-like symptoms, she said.
This goes without saying for staff and visitors alike.
If it is known that a staff member or student has been directly exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID, they should stay home, per CDC and school precautionary guidelines.
“In talking to our secretaries, we really aren’t seeing anything out of the ordinary when it comes to student and teacher absenteeism compared to other similar winters,” said CCS Supt. Adam Lambert.
“Our percentage of students  being gone remains in the single digits,” he added.
Lambert continued, “The biggest advice for students and families is, if you feel sick, stay home. It’s important to keep in direct contact with the students’ teachers to make sure the child is able to keep up with their school work.”
A night custodian has been added to the maintenance staff to do an extra cleaning of surfaces to help combat any potential outbreaks, said Lambert.
The extra cleaning incorporates the use of an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer.
    An electrostatic sprayer (or fogger) is a device that works by applying a small electrical charge to aerosols when passing through the nozzle. These charged droplets adhere easier and stick to environmental surfaces.
    Dallas Baney, head of maintenance at CCS, said during the height of the pandemic they sprayed everything nightly.
    “We actually purchased the sprayer a few months before the pandemic hit for staying on top of killing viruses,” he said. “So when COVID showed up, we were ready.”
    “Now, we mainly spray lockers, the weight room, wrestling mats—anywhere where multiple people may be touching surfaces,” he said.
    They use a backpack “fogger” for spraying surfaces in buildings and a hand-held sprayer for the buses.
    The sprayer disinfects all sprayed surfaces.
    The mist not only goes on the surface that’s facing, but surrounds the object’s surfaces and is adhered to non-facing areas as well—similar to how static electricity attracts.
    “This thing can spray around corners,” Baney smiled.
Teacher absences, subs
    Substitute teachers are always  needed.
    “We are always looking for substitutes to fill in, but most of our absences for teachers have been due to being gone as an activity sponsor and not illness,” Lambert said.
    He is proud of all the work the CCS staff has been putting in this year.
    “They go above and beyond for our students and fellow staff members. This truly is a special place to be, and I thank them for all their hard work and dedication to this district,” he added.