DCG to roll out ozone disinfectant dispensers in elementary schools after pilot at Northridge

The Dallas Center‑Grimes Community School District will expand use of ozone‑treated water cleaning dispensers after a pilot at Northridge Elementary, operations staff told the board.

Travis Donahue reported the district tested a Tersano dispenser at Northridge beginning in October and showed data on its use and cost. "One of these cartridges can turn about 800 gallons of water into a disinfectant," Donahue said, and the cartridges cost about $290; in the pilot the cartridge provided roughly 33 days of service at the facility. He told trustees the product acts as a disinfectant for 24 hours and a general‑purpose cleaner for up to six days and that it performs comparably to bleach water for disinfection without the chemical hazards.

The operations team proposed purchasing dispensers for every elementary school over winter break and moving remaining cleaning chemical stock to middle and high schools as the district phases in the system. Donahue also described a dashboard the vendor provides to track liters used and cartridge life so the district can automate reorders.

Board members asked whether the product would fulfill state cleaning requirements during illness outbreaks. Donahue cited experiences from Urbandale and ADM school districts that presented state testing data during the pandemic and said state agencies had been ‘‘pretty flexible’’ when those districts documented results. Custodial staff noted misters and deep‑clean procedures could still be used when required.

The board did not take an immediate procurement vote in the public record during this presentation, but Donahue said the plan is to install dispensers in elementaries over winter break and expand afterward.