AUGUSTA -- The Kennebec County Sheriff's Office and some local schools are taking a proactive approach to the H1N1 virus.

The sheriff's office has initiated a school sanitation program targeting the virus. The department has coordinated efforts with the Winslow school system and with the Clinton, Benton and Albion elementary schools for the pilot project, in which inmate work crews, working in tandem with janitorial staff, are doing extensive cleaning of the school buses and in the schools on nearly a daily basis.

The inmates showed up at Clinton Elementary on Tuesday night, and will be there again tonight.

Principal Steve Soule said that, with the H1N1 scare, the school welcomes the help.

"I'm a huge supporter of that program," Soule said. "They're well-supervised."

Sheriff Randall Liberty said that the inmates can make a difference. Liberty worked with Amy Tardy, the jail program coordinator, to devise the project.

"We've been looking for a way for the sheriff's office to help in reducing the exposure of H1N1 flu virus to our county's children," Liberty said. "We feel that we can have a significant impact in enhancing the sanitation of the schools."

Eight-person teams, supervised by a corrections officer, arrive at the school bus terminals. They sanitize the seats, rails, walls and windows of each bus.

During the evening, when the students have gone home, the work crews arrive at the schools. They sanitize the rooms from the ceiling to the floor. All desks, walls, floors and doorknobs are cleaned.

At no time are the students in the presence of the work crews, Liberty said.

"We've been able to expand our work crew efforts through creative staffing," the sheriff said. "There is no cost to the school system or additional funding necessary for this project.

"Through proper individual hygiene, vaccinations and enhanced sanitation, we can minimize our children's exposure. This is a good use of the work crew labor. They enjoy being part of the prevention effort."

This year, inmate work crews in Kennebec County have performed approximately $500,000 worth of labor to cities and towns of the county.

Larry Grard -- 861-9239

lgrard@centralmaine.com