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Currently, FCPS has several programs and procedures in place that would prevent or mitigate the spread of influenza in our facilities should there be an outbreak.
Pandemic flu infection control (hand washing and surface cleaning) has many components and has many different FCPS offices’ input as well as some outside agencies. Some of the different components include: instruction, supplies, outreach, and school health emergency response and facilities. These components have input from the Instructional Services Department (primary, middle and high school health instruction), the Department of Financial Services (Supply Operations), The Department of Facilities and Transportation Services (Safety and Security, Plant Operations, Maintenance Services, and Design and Construction), as well as the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD).
Instructional Services
Hand washing is found in the following FCPS instructional curriculum.
Supply Operations
Supply Operations automatically delivers, monthly, to schools a variety of: cleaning supplies, hand washing soap, paper towels, and toilet paper. The process known as the passive order system is an automated supply mechanism that sends these supplies automatically to schools. These materials are paid for out of a Department of Facilities and Transportation Services Plant Operations fund; schools do not directly pay for these items out of a school budget code.
The viralcide and biocide daily cleaning solutions used by FCPS contain quaternary ammonium chloride compounds and have been found to be effective against influenza, the common cold, and bacterial and viral meningitis.
Safety and Security Services
The Office of Safety and Security (OSS) provides a variety of outreach programs that include: hand washing encouragement posters, hand washing and infection control fact sheets, and universal hygiene and blood borne pathogen staff training. Additionally, the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) has distributed a hand-washing awareness poster.
In spring 2005, FCPS and FCHD implemented the school illness monitoring system (SIMS). The SIMS provides FCHD staff members with daily absentee statistics of individual schools and generates school illness statistics. SIMS detects fluctuations in student absentee rates. If a school illness outbreak triggers the SIMS system, FCPS performs additional cleaning and sanitizing using the most effective product for the pathogen of concern.
The SIMS is a product from the February 2004 Norovirus episodes in FCPS that resulted in several schools being sanitized. During these episodes, OSS worked with FCHD to identify schools that had extraordinary gastrointestinal disorder-related absenteeism and responded by additional sanitizing of the school environment.
Design and Construction and Maintenance Services
Maintaining the environment through regular cleaning and maintenance of our buildings is an important step in maintaining a good healthy environment for our students and staff members. The Plant Operations staff members (custodians) clean with quaternary ammonia compound (QACs) disinfectants. These disinfectants have been found to be effective against seasonal influenza viruses as well as the avian influenza virus recently in the news. Plant Operation staff members are trained to perform daily Cleaning for Health practices. These practices include the disinfecting of the contact surfaces in schools.
It is important to recognize that different pathogenic bacteria and viruses are destroyed more effectively by different cleaning materials and sanitizers. The Norovirus group is best disinfected by using a sodium hypochlorite (bleach) based sanitizer. The influenza virus group can be disinfected by using quantanary ammonia compounds. FCPS uses yet another product to disinfect wrestling mats. Besides routine cleaning, FCPS is proactive in response to outbreaks within its schools.
All school facilities that have been built, have undergone major renewal, or have received additions with bathroom fixtures (since 1984) have either hot or tempered water installed at all hand-washing sinks. It should be noted that all food preparation areas have hot water available for hand washing.
All FCPS facilities should have clean running water, hand-washing soap, and paper towels in all bathroom facilities for hand-washing activities.
Fairfax County Health Department
FCHD has a presence in most FCPS school facilities by either staffing a clinic room aide and/or a public health nurse. All FCPS with Clinic Room Aides have Public Health Nurses assigned to those schools. The Health Department provides a variety of outreach programs and training and has also developed hand-washing and cough/respiratory etiquette posters.
The FCHD's Communicable Disease Branch provides surveillance of school illness and works directly with the Office of Safety and Security on response to disease (food-borne, communicable, and noncommunicable) outbreaks in FCPS.
Last
update:
May 12, 2006
Curator: Rose Kaspersen,
Rose.Kaspersen@fcps.edu