Half of Surveyed Parents Have Positive Perception of School Cleanliness

As more students finish the remainder of the school year in class rather than on Zoom, school custodians are tasked with providing a healthy environment to keep in-person learning going strong and alleviate parents’ concerns. A recent consumer survey conducted by GP PRO found slightly more than half of surveyed parents feel confident schools are clean.

The survey focused on an array of consumer perceptions regarding frontline workers, the value of hygiene versus sustainability, and school cleanliness perceptions. In the school-related portion of the survey, 54% of parents were somewhat or very confident in how well their K-12 school is being cleaned and prepared for students. This shows there is still room for improvement.

To increase public confidence in the cleanliness of schools, GP PRO offered these tips for facility managers:

1. Seek input—provide a platform for parents, students, and staff to ask questions, raise concerns, and share suggestions.

2. Do one thing—Make one additional enhancement to the school’s cleaning program or bring greater awareness to the work being done. For example, institute “Refresh Fridays” as a day designated for deeper cleaning and disinfecting. Provide school custodians with eye-catching shirts and masks and hold a pep rally to recognize custodians’ work.

3. Communicate—Have appealing signage, floor graphics, banners, and posters inside the school building about the enhanced cleaning measures to create a hygienic learning environment. Additionally, inform parents through email, social media posts, and website content about the elevated cleaning practices and protocols the school is doing.