Healthy Schools
Georgia District Installs Disinfection Devices on Buses
The Meriwether County School District in Greenville, Ga., announced this week that its school board has voted to install disinfection devices on buses. The devices are capable of reducing up to 99.96% of harmful viruses that travel via air and by surface transmission, including SARS-CoV-2.
“We were at risk of losing bus drivers due to fear of COVID,” said Dr. Robert Griffin, Meriwether Superintendent. “Now we can load, travel and unload our buses knowing the air and surfaces are disinfected.”
The school board has purchased 113 CASPR (Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction) transit units from the Atlanta-based BioShark. According to a press release, the CASPR units convert natural airflow into low levels of gaseous hydrogen peroxide. The device runs continuously while the vehicle is in operation and will replace the current methods of chemical spraying and cleaning the fleet of buses.
“Our goal is to provide peace of mind for students, parents, staff and bus drivers to breathe the air and touch the surfaces without fear,” said BioShark’s Shannon Grube. “This will result in savings by reducing substitute bus drivers and teachers.”
According to the news release, the device does not leave a residue or have a corrosive effect on bus metals or seats. Officials anticipate that this will also help reduce bus maintenance expenses.
About the Author
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].