To wonder why schools don't make an effort to stop the spread of germs

[TeenTitans]

It's just accepted that kids spread germs to each other. Why? Why isn't anything done to reduce it? Hand sanitizer in classrooms the way they have it in hospital would be a good start. Ensure the kids gel their hands coming into classrooms. No outdoor coats indoors. Proper antiseptic hospital cleaning of the bathrooms at the end of the day.

It just seems bizarre that the attitude is that's just how it is when there are ways of addressing it. Immunocomprosinsed people exist and this is a real problem

Which part of the already over stretched budget would you like to see reduced so that this will happen?

And who will pay for all this? Schools are struggling to buy books let alone anything else.

The first thing that needs to happen is dirty beasts need to wash their hands more often and especially after going to the toilet.

Or parents could teach their own children hygiene?

Are you the parent of an immuno-compromised child?

We can't afford photocopying in my school, hand sanitiser is not really a priority

It's healthy to expose children to germs do they can build a good immunity.

Hand sanitizers belong in hospitals for obvious reasons. They are not needed in schools.

I know of a school that has introduced hand sanitizer dispensers in the corridor- I don't know how well used it is, or if it really has any affect on the spread of disease.

Most schools do insist on outside coats off in the classrooms at least- however, when you make bringing outside coats very difficult, a lot of teens stop wearing them, and getting wet and cold isn't great for them either!

Cleaning done to a high standard costs more money than most schools are able to spend on this, unfortunately.

I think to some extent in buildings of 1000+ people all moving around and touching surfaces etc, there is obviously going to be some spreading of illnesses/pathogens, but I agree it's very much an accepted thing and schools could perhaps do more.

We do have hand sanitiser in every toilet block (and to be fair, the kids do use it a lot) but it'd cost more money to have it at every classroom door and another job for teachers to do

Do you have ocd?

People shouldn’t just use anti bac - it will destroy your natural flora and potentially give you excema.

What would help is children staying home when they’re ill.

It seems like overkill to me. What about supermarkets? Should we use hand gel when we go in there? Cinemas? Soft play?

Children need to be exposed to germs to build up immunity. Stop wrapping them up in cotton wool!

Imagine how much lesson time would be wasted trying to get 30 5 year olds using hand sanitizer on the way back from break time. Then someone will probably have an allergy to it.

A big help would be parents not sending in children who are obviously unwell.

And parents teaching children basic hygiene like washing hands after using the bathroom and not picking their noses to then share pencils etc with others.

Anti bac gel doesn't kill viruses so wouldn't help with most illnesses.
Schools are cleaned every day and I'm sure children are encouraged to wash their hands (?).
I don't really think outdoor coats spread germs much, do they?
We're hardly ever ill and we don't use anti bac gel.

No budget to pay for it.

I must admit that I don't even think about it. I always encourage reasonable personal hygiene, like washing hands after using the toilet etc. Mine have always done that.

I think exposure to germs is what helps kids build strong immune systems. A peck of dirt isn't harmful to most children.

Hand sanitizer contains alcohol, what would no outdoor coats inside achieve? Is there any research to say coats are an infection risk. What about shoes? Bags? Sports kits? Kids should be taught to wash their hands after the toilet, before and after eating and at the end of school and being outside. Cleaning toilets and classroom floors should be done properly.
How did we manage when I was a child.

It’s not just schools by that logic- its hospitals, shops, leisure centres, gyms, anywhere people congregate.

Yes immunocompromised people exist, but a bit of hand sanitiser and a thorough bathroom clean won’t make a difference. They need to be away from people.

Otherwise normal hygiene precautions are more than adequate. You can’t make everyone and everything germ free, and if you did it isn’t good for your immune system. Too clean is a real problem.

There isn't the time or money to do this.

Where will the coats go if they aren’t indoors?

Who will pay for the hand sanitiser that will probably be pumped out and wasted every day.

Parents need to take responsibility for teaching their children proper hygiene and children need to ensure that they wash their hands carefully and observe hygiene themselves.

Working in a nursery, if parents kept sick children off would be much better. Knowing full well your child has chickenpox but layering them up hoping we don't notice or sending them in knowing they have had diarrhoea all night but telling us that they haven't when their wee bum is red raw.

I often wonder this OP

along with the bizarreness of encouraging sick children to come to school

probably plenty of money wasted on bureaucracy but not on useful stuff like this.

I'm also amazed how lax offices are about it. One place I worked, there was a Noro outbreak and when some of us asked about a deeper clean than was usual, we were told it wasn't their responsibility. Of course the CEO then had a moan about how many people had been off sick with it.

Have you met children?

I teach reception and if they aren’t picking their nose they are licking their shoes. I say ‘take that out of your mouth’ every so often and about six little faces will look guilty.

Not only that but a sterile environment is actually counter-productive to a healthy immune system.

Research 'Old friends hypothesis'.