Wooden signpost with four arrows - "help, support, advice, guidance". Great for topics like customer support, assistance, business presentations etc.

The beginning of the 2020-2021 school year is probably one of, if not the most, difficult starts ever for schools in the United States. Schools, school administrators, school boards and teachers are no strangers to difficult times, but returning to in-person learning during the most severe health crisis in the last 100 years is something totally foreign to educators. Understanding the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools are reaching out to cleaning professionals seeking advice on how to keep kids safe, reports Facility Executive.

Dozens of schools have reached out to Service Master Restoration Services in Marietta, Georgia with questions on cleaning and disinfecting for coronavirus, says Steve Morgan, managing director of ServiceMaster Restoration services in  Marietta, Georgia. Morgan tells Facility Executive that some of the schools are asking for extra cleaning help because there's too much work for their custodial staffs, while others just want advice.

A lot of new companies are entering cleaning industry as they see an opportunity to make money in the current climate. Some of these new businesses are making considerable claims as it relates to their ability to handle COVID-19 and school leaders want to know who is tell the truth. Michelle Fischer, who is the principal at Immanuel Lutheran School in Memphis, Tennessee, says the school had for weeks been inundated with calls from cleaning companies offering their services. She says the school already had a cleaning company that it trusted, so it was lucky to dodge any possible shady business.

When schools are the ones making the phone calls, here are the questions they commonly ask, according to Facility Executive:

1. Do foggers work against COVID-19?

2. Is ultraviolet light an effective disinfectant?

3. Do residual antimicrobial products work?

4. How often should a facility be cleaned?