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Just a quick warning with respect to incubators used for culturing the contents on petri dishes.
A few years ago I would get very ill with bronchitis and flu-like illnesses, and I eventually realised that the timing coincided with the students culturing the agar plates in the incubator. This incubator was in my main prep room just on the bench so every time the door was opened any 'floating' bacteria whooshed out into my room. I relocated the incubator into another prep room, where I don't work often, and I have not had this illness again..
BE AWARE

I could be wrong, but to my mind taking swabs from places around the school isn't subculturing.

Swabbing areas around the school and then growing the bacteria/fungi is not subculturing Subculturing is taking an already grown unknown bacteria and transferring it onto another agar plate. This is done for antibiotic sensitivity and identification etc in pathology labs but not in schools.

Hi All,
I'm wondering how long 'school safe' bacteria from Southern Biological actually lasts?
Thanks in advance
Judy

Wow! Just got back on to read more from my learned colleagues! Thanks for the extra info.
Fibreweb, I've got my CSIS open right now to the page you quoted. Enlightening, as was Rae's comment about the difference between culturing and subculturing. Then I read on and had to admit the incubator stays in the prep room when incubating - mostly to stop the little treasures from mucking up the calibration but now I will make sure that the growing is done elsewhere and not in my vicinity.
This forum is such a valuable tool.
I really should allocate time every week to look through the posts; not just drop in once every six months to see what's happening.
Thank you all again.
Searchie

Thank you for confirming that labbies. Page 57 of CSIS

Hi searchie,
any more news on your incident?
Hope you are well and haven't any lasting effect.
Lada