My two high-schoolers started in-person instruction yesterday as part of the hybrid schedule implemented in our hometown. Needless to say, the road getting here has been rife with heated discussions about the return to in-person learning and/or virtual classrooms during a pandemic. Last week, one of the more prickly debates on a local social media page centered on the cleaning procedures inside the schools. 
 
From what I gathered, not everyone in my town really understands the ins and outs of the role of disinfectants—although I’m fairly confident that most people in my town understand they are to be used on hard surfaces and not, well, anywhere else, despite what they may have heard.
 
A big question posed on Facebook was whether or not the school administration would be following CDC guidelines. Would the sinks be operational? Would there be soap dispensers with actual soap inside? Were hands-free faucets installed? Another parent questioned an additional step that school officials said they were going to put in place: students would use hand sanitizer and a cloth to wipe down their desks when they arrived in the classroom. Why didn’t they didn’t have wipes or why weren’t they spraying disinfectant on desks instead? There was no way a hand sanitizer was the right idea, said some people. Another person then questioned a high schooler’s ability to clean a desk in general. I don’t think she and I have met, but this woman clearly knows my two kids well…
 
The comments (182 and counting as this blog was posted) ranged from mild to off the rails, but mostly it revealed that many parents are anxious to have their kids back inside an actual school building, and very much concerned about the potential spread of COVID-19 through surfaces and enclosed spaces. Here in New Jersey, recent numbers have been low, but we are well aware that many states are hot zones and aren’t locked down like we were back in March—and the US still has far too many cases of and deaths from COVID-19 day after day after day.
 
It leaves little doubt that on top of vaccine development, cleaning public spaces will remain a huge topic as we close out 2020 and turn the page to 2021.