The Benefits of Cleaner, Healthier Education Environments and How to Achieve Them

On December 1, 2022, this article was updated to include more up to date public health information on the rise of RSV, flu and COVID-19.

The much talked about 'tripledemic' of flu, COVID-19 and RSV has taken hold in the Northern hemisphere this winter. In North America cases of RSV have increased rapidly since early fall and pediatric hospitalizations have reached levels typically seen later in the year¹⁹ In the absence of COVID prevention mandates and a decline in infection prevention behaviors we have also seen a surge in influenza²⁰ and COVID-19 cases²¹. All three viruses have commonalities in symptoms and transmission and can have devastating effects on our most vulnerable. Children spend the majority of their awake hours in school²² so creating and maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment in schools, daycares and afterschool programs can create a host of benefits.

Here are six ways that cleaner, healthier schools help deliver value for students, staff, schools and our society as a whole:

Help Reduce Student Absenteeism

1. The typical elementary school student battles 8-10 cold and flu cases every year, leading them to roughly five absences per year.¹ That all adds up to more than 22 million school days lost annually to the common cold - and more than 38 million annual absences from the flu.² And we haven't even talked about Gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses like Norovirus, which are second only to the common cold in causing absences among students and staff.³ More consistent and rigorous cleaning protocols - from air filtration and floor cleaning to remove dust and allergens, to robust hand hygiene programs, to regular sanitization and disinfection of high-touch surfaces - can directly help combat these highly transmissible illnesses and reduce student absenteeism. In fact, one study found that simple hand-washing education can reduce student absenteeism from GI illnesses by anywhere from 29-57%.⁴ The academic benefits of reduced absenteeism are implicit but consider this financial impact: U.S. schools lose $10.7 billion each year due to student absenteeism, as federal funding is allocated based on average student attendance counts.⁵