Survey: Nearly 50 Percent Of Parents Send Their Kids To School Knowing They're Sick

By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins

It's just about time to start sending your children back to school, but you might want to think twice if your child is feeling under the weather.

In a survey commissioned by commercial cleaning company OpenWorks, 49 percent of parents polled admitted that they have sent their children to school even though they're sick.

"Nearly half said they feel pressured to send their kids to school in these conditions -- even if they're sick -- because they can't miss work."

In the same survey, parents scolded schools for their uncleanliness. A third of respondents said they won't let their kids ride the bus because they believe it's unclean, while half of working parents pack lunch for their kids because they think the cafeteria is "unclean" or "unsanitary."

"The survey shows parents believe schools aren't making the grade when it comes to keeping facilities clean, creating unhealthy environments for students," OpenWorks executive vice president David Bosley said.

The sanitation worries don't stop at the schools. In another survey, respondents said that more than half of workplace disagreements regard cleanliness or office temperature.

55 percent of Millennials said they would consider taking less pay for an office setting at the perfect temperature and cleanliness level. Only one-in-four Baby Boomers said the same.

Compared to Boomers, twice as many Millennials said they would quit a job because the office was messy and unclean. Nearly three times as many said they'd quit if the office temperature wasn't set the way they like.

Regardless of age, 51 percent of workers polled said their office is so unclean they use a paper towel or handkerchief to open doors.