ASCENSION PARISH – Teachers and staff in Ascension are getting ready to get back into the classroom.

They'll be returning next week to prepare for the upcoming school year, which starts on Aug. 10. But before that can happen, all of the buildings are getting a deep clean to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“This company we've used actually for several years. We first engaged them in our high school locker rooms to try to help reduce staff infections for our high school athletes,” Public Information Officer for Ascension Public Schools Jackie Tisdale said. "We found that this product really really worked for us."

For the very important task of keeping schools clean amid the pandemic, Tisdale says they turn to a company called DIS.IN.FX.

“We expanded it to our pre-k kids, and we saw a drastic reduction in student illnesses once we started using this,” Tisdale said.

Last year was the first year every school was disinfected, and this year will be the same.

According to DIS.IN.FX, the solution they use to spray down every table, chair and water fountain is a razor antimicrobial coating. It kills 99.9 percent of germs when wet, and leaves a film that prevents microorganisms to grow on surfaces.

“It protects the surfaces for up to three months,” Tisdale said. “They come in every single month, and they actually take swabs and they test to see if the product is still working. If it shows signs of it not working, they come back and re-treat the entire school."

The disinfecting happened back in March when schools closed, again in May and now right before students are expected back on Aug. 10.

"We really think this extra disinfectant safety measure is going to help us combat the spread of any illness in the schools,” Tisdale said.

All campus will be disinfected every three months during the school year. Surfaces will also be wiped down on a regular basis.