Editor's note: This story was written before the closure of in-person classes for the rest of the school year.

Saratoga High, once full of activity and vibrance, is now almost empty each day due to the shelter-in-place mandate prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Access has been severely restricted as the campus has been closed to all students, teachers and visitors, and will remain so for the rest of the school year. 

However, several school administrators, including principal Greg Louie and assistant principals Matt Torrens and Rick Ellis, have still been regularly coming onto campus. According to district facilities and plant manager supervisor Tony Palma, staff members can still access campus for “urgent instructional needs” after checking in with Louie. But even this  limited access is soon to change.

Now, with no possibility of school reopening after May, campus will be closed to all people starting April 11. 

This will allow the custodial crew to begin the deep cleaning process in all rooms, which will last for three weeks and would have been completed in time for a potential return to school after May 4. The county has instituted a closure of all schools extended now to the end of the year, so this would accommodate the earliest possible return to the physical school campus.

“No one, including administrators, will be allowed on the school campus,” Torrens said. “The custodian crew needs the flexibility to go into all spaces on campus, not just classrooms but labs, shared spaces and offices.”

The campus-wide cleaning will involve a powerful aerosol spray that kills germs, viruses and bacteria as well as a heavy wipe-down of indoor surfaces with a strong cleaning agent.

Custodial crews are planning to disinfect classrooms in heavy-duty protective gear. Each classroom will then be allowed to sit for at least three days with no one being allowed to enter for as long as possible.

“‘Deep cleaning is really a process of sanitation,” Torrens said. “There are a couple variables that go into the process, such as knowledge of the virus and getting information from other schools and the Santa Clara County Board of Health.”

After sufficient time has passed, teachers will finally be allowed to re-enter their classrooms. This will take place a couple of days before students return to allow teachers to prepare for their classes.

Though there are plans currently in place to begin the cleaning process in the coming weeks, these dates are subject to change. The situation will constantly be re-evaluated in the coming days, and if necessary, the entire process may be pushed back or altered, Torrens said.

Additionally, significant barriers that come with the campus-wide project — such as coordinating the effort and obtaining enough of the right cleaning equipment — could also cause delay.

“The cleaning process is not as simple as walking into Home Depot, buying a gallon of cleaning agent and walking around the school to clean,” Torrens said.

Nonetheless, the administration is working hard on this complex process to ensure that the school is as safe as possible if students and teachers are to ever return to campus this semester.

“It takes some coordination to make sure we are going to do a thorough job,” Torrens said.