SPECIAL REPORT
Cleaning companies, such as GOJO Industries that produces Purell products, provide free online training and website content to help school transportation operations safely disinfect buses.
Added Pressure
Even with billions available in federal funding for school bus sanitation practices, reliable longterm funding remains an issue Written By Julie Metea
T
he COVID-19 pandemic not only disrupted school operations and student learning, but it also added new pressures on school transpor- tation operations to keep buses sanitized as
another way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The worst pre-pandemic cleaning challenges may
have involved scraping gum off seats, removing graffiti, or wiping away spills on the bus. Now, bus operators are tasked with extra operational steps to wipe down, spray and disinfect vehicle interiors to remove invisible airborne and surface viral contamination. As a result, transportation staffers have extra tasks, and department budgets are challenged with escalating cleaning costs as the pandemic continues into 2022. U.S. federal stimulus funds granted some relief to school districts during the past two years. Since 2020, Congress has approved three rounds of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds, in- cluding $7 billion in Emergency Education Relief (GEER)
16 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2022
funds and over $310 billion in Elementary and Second- ary Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, to help educational institutions adjust operations for protecting people and preventing further spread of the virus. At the discretion of states and school districts, the
CARES funding can been used to properly sanitize school buses and purchase supplies, such as disinfec- tants, specialized cleaning equipment, wipes, sprayers and hand sanitizers. However, not all school districts channeled funding to their transportation departments. School districts that did allocate funding for school bus sanitation are now challenged with the end of that financial support this year.
Relating to Real-World Scenarios In a new School Transportation News survey, more than 90 percent of the respondents reported cleaning practices on school buses have increased significantly
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOJO INDUSTRIES
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