Maintaining a safe learning space for students is more important than ever before, especially after facing the trying times of COVID-19. Not only is it crucial for students to have a healthy social and learning balance, but it’s also equally vital for them to be well-protected and safe while doing so. Through personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gloves, and specific protective clothing, students and faculty alike can protect themselves and others from spreading illness and infection. However, is that enough to keep the rambunctious, playful bodies and minds safe in the classroom? In the content below, we explore how the sole use of masks will not effectively maintain school safety and discuss five ways in which sneeze guards do.
5 Ways Sneeze Guards Maintain School Safety
Face masks are an excellent start to ensuring the safety of children and faculty within a school facility. However, a physical barrier provides an extra layer of protection to effectively minimize the exposure to illnesses, hazards, and infection— thus, less likely to spread from one student or teacher to the next. Read below to discover how else sneeze guards work to maintain school safety.
#1. Uphold a Safe Social Distance
The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention recommend all able bodies keep a minimum of 6 feet apart from one another whenever possible. By practicing social distancing, we’re reiterating the fact that one should not touch, hug, or make contact with others to prevent the spread of illness and infection.
However, standing 6 feet away from someone, especially in smaller classrooms with many other individuals, is not always the most realistic option. Utilizing sneeze guards throughout the classroom and other heavily populated areas—like the cafeteria, for instance—ensures that you cannot touch others and vice versa, thus stopping the spread of germs.
#2. Stop Transmission of Infected Droplets
Aside from preventing physical touch, a 6-foot social distance reduces the likelihood of sneezes, coughs, or droplets landing in the noses and mouths of others nearby. As mentioned above, there may be instances around the school when it’s difficult to maintain a safe, 6-foot distance between students and faculty. Therefore, sneeze guards are an excellent solution to add to your school’s PPE as an extra measure of security when face masks might fail to catch a cough or sneeze from escaping.
#3. Encourage Normal Interactions with High Visibility
OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, recommends that all businesses install clear, plastic sneeze guards to protect individuals. School buildings should be no different! Businesses of all sorts utilize sneeze guards to not only protect themselves and individuals against the spread of illness but to ensure seamless interactions and daily encounters.
Students are expressive individuals that learn valuable skills by interacting and learning with others. Clear, plastic sneeze guards are the perfect solutions for classmates to work together and express themselves without putting each other at higher risk.
With plenty of high-visibility material options like plastic, acrylic, polycarbonate, and even glass, routine interactions between students, teachers, staff, and other administrative members won’t have to skip a beat. Furthermore, you can encourage further creativity by having your students answer math and English questions with writing on their sneeze guards with a whiteboard marker!
#4. Versatile to Use Anywhere Around the Classroom
The transparent material of most physical barriers is beneficial for children to interact normally while staying safe, but sneeze guards offer great versatility in the sense that they can go in just about any area of the classroom or building! Physical barriers and guides ensure minimal risk of spreading germs and viruses around the school, so use them to your advantage in instances where it may be challenging for children to maintain a 6-foot distance.
You can use acrylic, plastic, or polycarbonate sneeze guards in your K-12 classrooms in any of the following ways:
- Student Desktops
- Instructor Tabletops
- Student-Shared Workspaces
- Partitions for Large Classrooms
- Cafeterias
- Front Desk and Faculty Offices
- School Bus Seats
- Bathroom Sinks & Stalls
#5. Offer Greater Longevity
To value the recommendations and guidelines of the CDC, installing protective barriers and guides around the classroom holds great importance in maintaining school safety and student protection. An excellent way that sneeze guards bring more value to your building, besides protecting the people inside of it, is by having a high-quality design that will offer a long, reliable life.
Protective sneeze guards are stable and sturdy enough to utilize in many areas of the building that are also easy to install. They are removable (if/when needed) and simple to clean so that you can get the most use out of these protective barriers for the entire school year and then some.
A high-quality design and construction of sneeze guards are key for offering greater longevity to your students and faculty members, so choose the right material and build for your needs. Sneeze guards are available in various transparent materials and functional design types, so safety is always at the forefront of your school day.
Maintain School and Classroom Safety with School Safety Solutions
At School Safety Solutions, we know the process of navigating a global pandemic is challenging and ever-changing. Our mission is to make sure that the highest level of safety and protection is achievable for your school because our success lies in the ultimate health and wellness of others.
Face masks are a great (and required) stepping-stone for resuming normal activities during school hours, but sneeze guards give your school safety and protection a much-needed boost. Equipping your classroom with other PPE products and emergency supplies leads you to create a healthy, safe environment for students (and teachers) to thrive and learn in.
Together, we can ensure all school occupants are happy, comfortable, and protected. Contact us today at (888) 733-0406 or email us at info@schoolsafetysolution.com to learn more about how you can do so!
