Preparing for the next the school year, JAO uses germ-killing technology to fight COVID-19

Jewish Academy of Orlando is using Violet Defense, a patented germ-killing technology to fight COVID-19. The UV operated products are designed to prevent the spread of illness-causing germs on any surface. “When our students return to school,” commented Alan Rusonik, JAO’s head of school, “each parent will have the comfort and confidence that every morning their child is entering a facility that has been treated by a state-of-the-art technology designed to irradiate all bacteria as well or better than any school in Orlando.”

This technology is designed to help combat up to 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, including E. Coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, and superbugs like MRSA. The technology helps protect the students, staff, and faculty of JAO from these illness-causing germs, including flu and COVID-19. Two years ago, JAO was the first elementary school in the United States to be fully outfitted with the Violet Defense system. The technology is now being used across the nation in operating rooms, hotels, schools, ambulances, food processing, and athletic facilities. Larger organizations including New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Orlando Magic have partnered with Violet Defense.

“As a pediatric emergency medicine physician on the front lines, I am pleased to see that JAO has adopted one of the most up to date sanitizing processes using UV lights,” stated Yaron Ivan, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Attending at AdventHealth for Children. “This technology allows sanitization and sterilization of common surfaces that are often involved in transmission of viruses and bacteria. I find this to be a safe, toxic free and effective method to sanitize the JAO spaces.”

For more information about Violet Defense, please visit: https://www.violetdefense.com.

Violet Defense is part of the school’s multi-layer approach to ensure its students and faculty are entering a clean and safe environment.

“The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff has always been a top priority at the JAO. Having Violet Defense protecting our campus reassures the entire JAO community that we are doing everything possible to keep them safe during these unprecedented times,” noted Rusonik.

Each of the school’s classrooms, along with the library, public restrooms, and lunchroom, are disinfected each night. Also, teachers have the ability to disinfect the rooms each time they leave the room. The school also has access to mobile devices to deploy at a moment’s notice in the event of immediate disinfection needs, such as with a sick child.

Ivan continued, “This process is a huge step that increases the safety of the students and staff as it has been proven to work against viruses and bacteria and is in current use in hospital, hotels, and operating rooms among other applications.”

“In this time of great uncertainty, the entire JAO community can draw comfort in the fact the we are using leading-edge technology to combat this pandemic,” continued Rusonik, “We are grateful for our partnership with Violet Defense and how their products are keeping us safer.”

Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from transitional  kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character education rooted in Jewish values. Jewish Academy of Orlando is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools.  

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: jewishacademyorlando.org or follow the school on Facebook facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.