Survey: Parents Put School Cleanliness in the Spotlight This Back-to-School Season

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 19, 2026--

New survey results from the American Cleaning Institute show that while most parents give their child’s school positive marks for cleanliness, shared spaces where hygiene matters most like bathrooms and cafeterias remain top concerns. This underscores the essential role cleaning plays in creating school environments where students can learn, eat and gather with confidence. And as families prepare for a new school year, parents are paying attention to how clean and well cared for their children’s schools are.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260819091903/en/

While 39% of parents with children in school rated the school’s cleanliness level as excellent, most felt there was room for improvement. Among the areas of concern identified were:

“Cleanliness is not just a maintenance issue; it is part of the broader back-to-school checklist that helps reassure parents that schools are prepared to welcome students back,” said Kristin DiNicolantonio, ACI’s Senior Director, Stakeholder Communications. “Parents want to know that the places where their children learn, eat and play are being cared for. Strong cleaning and hygiene practices help support healthier school communities and keep students focused on learning.”

ACI encourages families and school communities to keep cleaning and hygiene top of mind throughout the school year by reinforcing handwashing, keeping frequently touched surfaces clean and using cleaning and disinfecting products as directed. Parents can reinforce proper handwashing at key moments, including before eating and after using the restroom, and include hand sanitizer in back-to-school supplies for older children.

Cleaning is a foundational part of a successful school year. School staff and parents can get more resources on supporting hand hygiene and cleaning best practices in their school system at HealthySchoolsHealthyPeople.org.

About the Survey

The ACI Parents survey was conducted by Wakefield Research ( www.wakefieldresearch.com ) among 500 nationally representative U.S. parents ages 18+, between July 31st and August 6th, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted to ensure an accurate representation of US parents, 18 and older.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.4 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

American Cleaning Institute

The American Cleaning Institute ® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org ) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.

Healthy Schools, Healthy People

Healthy Schools, Healthy People ( https://healthyschoolshealthypeople.org/ ) is a joint initiative between the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dedicated to supporting school systems nationwide with tools to help reinforce hand hygiene and cleaning practices to prevent the spread of infectious disease and reduce related absenteeism.

59% of parents give their children's schools a grade of B or C when it comes to cleanliness, according to survey data released by the American Cleaning Institute.

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — The judge in the case of a Texas teenager convicted of fatally stabbing a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet was ordered removed Wednesday, as the defendant seeks a new trial in a case that drew national attention.

Karmelo Anthony, now 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison after a suburban Dallas jury in June rejected his claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in the stadium bleachers last year.

The case attracted national attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors the tragedy had nothing to do with race.

Dozens of Anthony supporters gathered inside and outside the Collin County courtroom for Wednesday's hearing, and some chanted “Free Karmelo!” in the parking lot after visiting Judge Sid Harle's order to remove state District Judge John Roach as Anthony seeks a retrial.

A new judge will be assigned for Thursday’s hearing on Anthony's request for a retrial.

Anthony’s legal team argued Wednesday that a retrial is needed in part because Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview after the trial was over.

In the interview that was played as Wednesday's hearing began, Roach was asked if the jury got “it right.”

“Yeah, they did,” Roach said, adding: “Whatever they say, they got it right.”

Harle said he did not know Roach and he believed Roach would be fair in a hearing for a retrial. But Harle agreed to Anthony's request to remove him because of the way it might look to a third party.

Anthony attended the hearing wearing a green jumpsuit. His parents and Metcalf’s parents also were in the courtroom. Attorneys for Anthony's and Metcalf's families did not immediately comment on the ruling.

Anthony did not testify during the trial where students described a heated exchange over Anthony’s refusal on a rainy spring day to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team. The teens went to different high schools.

Several schools were competing when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Austin Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor.

Anthony at one point reached inside a bag and replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Metcalf pushed Anthony, according to witnesses, who said Anthony then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

This booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, shows Karmelo Anthony. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)

FILE - A courtroom sketch provided by Pat Lopez shows Karmelo Anthony, center, at the defense table, the jury on the left and the presiding judge on the right, June 4, 2026, in McKinney, Texas, during the trial of a teen accused of fatally stabbing another during a track meet in suburban Dallas last year. (Pat Lopez via AP, File)