Grade 3 Teacher Raises Money for Students' Handwashing Station to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to the coronavirus may be reduced by cleaning and disinfection.

As schools are about to reopen, CDC encourages frequent handwashing among students.

However, in Daytona Beach, Florida, a Grade 3 teacher realized that her classroom is far from a sink or the bathroom.

The Grade 3 teacher, Annette Fernandez of Turie T. Small Elementary School, wanted to make sure that her students have access to a handwashing station.

She was able to raise money for her classroom's sink and also for another class through a GoFundMe Campaign.

Raising the funds

Initially, Annette approached her principal to ask if they have funds for handwashing stations. The principal said there were no enough funds.

The Grade 3 teacher did not want to give up, so she asked her principal if it would be okay to raise funds through a GoFundMe campaign. The principal agreed, so she created a page for the handwashing station.

In her campaign, Annette only wanted to raise 1,500 US Dollars, which is the cost of a sink in her classroom. However, in just two hours, she was able to raise more than $1500.

In an interview with the TODAY Parents, Annette shared that this is the first time that she used GoFundMe, that is why she was very shocked to receive such support in a short period.

As of writing, the Grade 3 teacher has already raised more than 3,800 US Dollars. Because of this, she has decided to purchase another handwashing station for another classroom.

In the GoFundMe page, Annette said that any excess to the funds which she will raise would be used to purchase soap and paper towels.

Story behind raising the funds

The Grade 3 teacher's classroom is one of the twelve portable classrooms at their school. These rooms do not have bathrooms.

Annette decided to raise funds when she realized that as she encourages her students to wash their hands, this will also mean that most of the school day will be spent moving from the classroom to the bathroom. Annette said, "I just thought about the amount of wasted instructional time I was going to need ... just trying to get them to wash their hands outside of the classroom."

Fernandez has been teaching for 23 years. For the teacher of grade 3 students, handwashing is like a basic necessity nowadays. Considering this, she felt that the kids deserve better. She said, "It doesn't matter where they live. It doesn't matter if they're poor or they're rich. They all deserve the same."