A DECISION by council bosses in West Dunbartonshire to clean classrooms only every other day once schools return after the coronavirus pandemic has been slammed as “disgusting”.

A woman with young relatives at schools in the local authority has hit out at the “alternate day” cleaning policy, saying it puts children across the area at risk of catching the virus when they return to their studies after months in lockdown.

She said: “I worry about the risks they and other children will face as a result of this.”

The Post has seen a council email which says the policy is to clean only toilets, food preparation areas, dining rooms and first aid rooms every day, while classrooms and common areas such as corridors will cleaned every other day.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “I am very annoyed at the council for not agreeing to clean classrooms every day.

“Take for example Dumbarton Academy, which has six periods every day.

“Six kids sitting in the same chair one day and then another six sitting on it the following day. In spite of social distancing, that’s 12 kids being put at risk. That’s disgusting.

“The ‘alternate cleaning model’ was introduced around five years ago - but the coronavirus has altered the situation drastically and things need to change.”

The concerns have been backed by Community Party councillor Jim Bollan, who told the Post the “alternate days” policy should be stopped.

He said: “The Community Party share parents and carers concerns about cleanliness in our schools.

“Going back to the old service levels is not an option.

“All schools should receive a deep clean before any staff or pupils return.

“The cuts which resulted in alternate days cleaning need to be scrapped immediately with all areas of the school being cleaned on a daily basis.

“This is the bare minimum service level that should be implemented immediately to limit the chance of the virus being spread.”

A council spokesperson said: “As part of our recovery planning for the reopening of schools, work is already under way to re-prioritise our resources to focus on essential cleaning within these buildings.”

The Scottish Government says schools across the country will reopen from August 11.

However, children in West Dunbartonshire about to start P1, and those moving from P7 to secondary, are set to be brought back to school for a short period later this month.

Pupils set to start Primary 1 in the new term and those moving from P7 to secondary school as well as those who need additional support will be welcomed back to schools in June for a short period before the traditional summer holidays.