Hand sanitizers going up on classroom walls

Monday, September 14, 2009

The Jersey City public school district will install wall-mounted hand sanitizers in each classroom in the battle against swine flu, the district has announced.

The sanitizers will be monitored by the classroom teacher to make sure students use them upon entrance into the classroom in the morning, before and after lunch, and after each restroom visit, the district said in a news release.

The district has ordered 3,000 sanitizers and expects they will all be in place by the beginning of November, spokeswoman Paula Christen told The Jersey Journal. She could not immediately ascertain the project's cost late Friday.

In addition, all students will receive swine flu prevention tips through lessons in their health curriculum, the district said.

The maintenance staff has been instructed to step up their daily routines to keep the schools germ-free, the district said.

All doorknobs, desktops, banisters and bathrooms are to be continually wiped down to avoid the spread of the virus, the district said.

Infectious disease nurse Maureen Healy, also the city's first lady, will monitor daily attendance.

The districts asks that parents keep students with flu-like symptoms home until their fever subsides.

The priority, Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. said, is to keep the district's 29,000 students and 6,000 administrators, teachers and support staff safe and healthy.

JOURNAL STAFF