Hand sanitizers versus soap
The issue of children bringing alcohol-based hand sanitizers to school has been a topic of discussion recently by several of our parents.
Alcohol-based sanitizers contain 60 percent or more alcohol and are a dangerous item for children to bring to school. In addition to being flammable, the chemicals in the sanitizers can be poisonous if swallowed and dangerous if squirted in a child’s eyes. They also kill bacteria, not viruses – the common cold and flu are caused by viruses. It is also advised that these sanitizers be used with supervision and that they not be used by children.
Scotia-Glenville is exploring installing non-alcohol sanitizers in elementary classrooms. This has been done in other school districts in the Capital Region.

Here is information from the Capital Region BOCES Risk Management Service that discusses the benefits and downsides to using hand washing and hand sanitizers (in PDF).

Scotia-Glenville's pro-active approach - wash hands frequently
The school district is following proactive, common-sense procedures that stress the following:
• Hand washing. Most elementary classrooms at Scotia-Glenville have sinks, paper towels, soap and hot water. All students have access to bathroom or locker room sinks. They are being encouraged to wash their hands for 20 seconds - enough time to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
In a meeting last month with Dr. David Pratt from the Schenectady County Health Department and other school officials, as well as a similar meeting held with school superintendents and health officials in Albany County, it was stressed that old-fashioned hand-washing is the best remedy for stalling the spread of H1N1.
• If a child needs to sneeze or cough, he or she should do so into a tissue or the crook of the arm and then wash their hands and arm as soon as they can after that.
• If another child is sneezing or coughing, it is best to keep a distance from that child – the Yard Stick (3-foot) rule.
• If a child has flu-like symptoms – fever of more than 100 degrees F., cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose – he or she should not come to school. Additional symptoms may be experienced with H1N1 (swine flu) including muscle pain, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea.
• A child should be kept home until 24 hours after the fever is gone (without medication).
• Report a child’s flu-like symptoms to the school nurse.
• Do not treat flu-like illnesses with aspirin.
• Keep up to date about the flu at these web sites - www.flu.gov and www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu and by visiting the district’s web site – ScotiaGlenvilleSchools.org.