Broken Arrow Public Schools takes proactive measures to reduce germs in schools

BROKEN ARROW, Okla., Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study, released today by Broken Arrow Public Schools and CloroxPro, has shown the positive impact of daily disinfection in a school environment by using the Clorox^® Total 360^® System. After implementing the system daily throughout the 2018-19 school year, environmental swabbing of surfaces disinfected with the Clorox^® Total 360^® System showed a reduction in bacteria to near zero, including on hard-to-clean surfaces like door handles.

Proper disinfection of high-touch surfaces is key to protecting against illness outbreaks that can result in a high level of absenteeism, interrupting student education. Bacteria and viruses that cause infectious illnesses, including colds and the flu, can survive on surfaces for days. Other common pathogens such as norovirus and MRSA can live on surfaces for weeks or even months,ⁱ making consistent cleaning and disinfection crucial to keep school facilities clean and to protect against outbreaks.

Broken Arrow Public Schools invested in the Clorox^® Total 360^® System in 2017 as a proactive measure to prevent outbreaks in its school district. Since its introduction, the system has been deployed daily as an extra layer of protection in addition to daily manual cleaning. The swab study was conducted in a Broken Arrow elementary school to measure the system's effectiveness against bacteria contamination on high-touch surfaces. 

"We know how staying healthy and consistently attending school maximizes a child's potential to learn," said Superintendent Dr. Janet Dunlop. "The results of this study confirm the value of our investment in the latest cleaning and disinfecting technology because nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our students and staff." 

To assess the significance of the Clorox^® Total 360^® System on environmental cleanliness at Broken Arrow Public Schools, the swab study focused on high-touch surfaces in nine rooms in the elementary school including classrooms, the nurse's station, the cafeteria, hallways and restrooms. These rooms were swabbed before and after the use of the Clorox^® Total 360^® System, which applied the Clorox^® Total 360^® Disinfectant Cleaner₁ or Clorox^® Anywhere^® Hard Surface Sanitizing Spray on all surfaces throughout each room. Five high-touch surfaces per room were swabbed, including chairs, desks, tables, door handles, soap dispensers, toilet seats, water fountains and other commonly touched objects in the rooms.

Although illness is only one of many factors that can keep students from attending school, the impact of the environment on student and staff illness is controllable and can be minimized by regularly disinfecting school surfaces. However, traditional manual cleaning and disinfection methods, while important, are not always sufficient, as some objects and areas can be missed, particularly if those areas are difficult to clean or hard to reach.ⁱⁱ The Clorox^® Total 360^® System proved to statistically reduce levels of bacteria on all surfaces it treated.

To learn more about study, please view the white paper here. To learn more about the Clorox^® Total 360^® System, please visit www.CloroxPro.com.

ⁱ Kramer, A.; Schwebke, I.; Kampf, G. How Long Do Nosocomial Pathogens Persist on Inanimate Surfaces? A Systematic Review. BMC Infect. Dis. 2006, 6, 1–8.
ⁱⁱ Carling, P. C.; Parry, M. M.; Rupp, M. E.; Po, J. L.; Dick, B.; Von Beheren, S. Improving Cleaning of the Environment Surrounding Patients in 36 Acute Care Hospitals. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2008, 29 (11), 1035–1041

SOURCE Broken Arrow Public Schools