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Custodial Team Behind the Scenes But on the Front Lines
Behind the scenes and often unheralded, the work of school custodians is vital to the educational process.
But in the depths of a pandemic, that work literally can be life-saving: earning custodians the well deserved title of essential frontline workers.
Tasked with keeping schools aesthetically clean and looking sharp, the Pueblo School District 60 custodial team has, in the face of COVID-19, emerged as schools’ front line of defense.
The evolving face of the coronavirus has necessitated that the whole of a school building – classrooms, hallways, restrooms, office space, cafeteria – be incessantly cleaned, disinfected and sanitized, literally round the clock.
The hours are long, the duties often tedious, and the need to be thorough and vigilant crucial.
But, as a visit with the South Park Elementary and Centennial High School custodial teams reveals, these unsung warriors in the fight against COVID-19 rise to the occasion day after day, and often through the long evening hours, to shield students and staff from an unseen and unwanted invader.
At South Park and Centennial, vacated for the week-long Thanksgiving break, the work of cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting that began with the onset of the pandemic continues unabated.
Like all aspects of life, the virus has altered the way custodians go about their work. Like all frontline personnel, custodians are being asked to do more, more often, with an acute attention to detail.
“Before COVID, we had a lot more time to do buffing and stuff,” explained Leeroy Romero, head custodian at South Park and a 13-year D60 employee. “Now we concentrate on disinfecting: every hour, on the hour. Whenever kids leave the classroom, we disinfect. Whenever kids walk through the hallways, we disinfect.
“Anywhere the kids are, that’s where we will be, disinfecting.”
The extra layer duties, including spraying down desks, doorknobs and the multitude of hard surfaces within a building, is added to the “traditional” responsibilities – sweeping, mopping, buffing, emptying trash receptacles, and so forth – associated with custodial work.
For Leeroy, a typical school day begins well before 6 a.m.
“I get the lights turned on, I do the flagpole and the crosswalk and get my area ready,” he explained. “If I have to set up my cafeteria, then I’ll set that up. If not, I’ll go get the breakfast trash cans and bring them to the classrooms.
“Then after that, I’ll start spraying: anything the kids are around, such as rails and doorways.”
It’s that duty that will keep Leeroy and Joey Montano occupied this week, in anticipation of the return of staff Monday.
“I do see myself as a frontline worker,” Leeroy said. “We are like a family here at South Park, and I’m doing my best to keep my students and staff safe. Whatever I’m asked to do, I’ll do it.
“As a custodian, that’s my job: to keep my school safe.”
The diligence of Leeroy and his colleagues has paid big dividends, as South Park has continued to offer in-person instruction, with only minimal positive COVID-19 cases.
“We’ve had a few, but they were from the outside,” offered Leeroy with an air of pride. “Nothing from inside the school. We’ve stayed open the whole time, with no closures or anything.”
A noble accomplishment that hasn’t gone unnoticed by South Park’s leadership, staff and students.
“The kids see it, the staff sees it, and they show their appreciation overwhelmingly,” Leeroy said. “We don’t do this work for the glory or the praise: we do it for the kids. And I’ve gotten to know every single kid here by name. And that goes for the staff, too.
“It’s like a family here, and we all try to take care of each other, from one end of the school to the other.”
Across town at Centennial, head custodian Angel Ochoa and his five-person team ushered in the week with a deep cleaning of the spacious home of the Bulldogs.
“We’re going to disinfect all the rooms again,” said Angel, a seven-year district employee. “And we also will be doing our monthly filter change for the air system.”
Like all of the district’s high schools, Centennial has transitioned to fully remote instruction, with educators teaching from the classroom. The work of cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting, however, remains the same regardless of the instructional mode the school is in.
“Even if the kids aren’t in school, the routine is the same,” Angel said. “And the teachers really appreciate what we are doing for them.”
Like Leeroy, Angel sees himself and his colleagues as frontline workers, serving the school community during an unpredictable and unprecedented time in history.
“No one does this work for the recognition,” Angel said. “I do see custodians as frontline workers, because it’s our duty to keep the students, staff and ourselves safe.”
As an expression of appreciation and gratitude, every custodial team within the district recently received a gift basket full of snacks and treats.
The giveaway was spearheaded by East High School social studies teacher Ray LeMasters, with support from central and building administration, educators and students.
"For those who are on the 'front' of our 'frontlines,' thank you for your dedication and hard work," read a note attached to each basket. "Stay healthy and safe. From all of us at District 60."
Added Ray LeMasters, "Too often, our custodians are overlooked: particularly during this pandemic, when the frontline workers are honored so often, and we often forget about the people who are on the front.
"Without custodians, this whole world stops: particularly during this pandemic. I know many students and staff members and administrators care immensely for the work that's being done every day, but it's nice to actually officially recognize those who do so much to keep us going."
It’s that work that garners the praise of Bob Lawson, who as the district’s executive director of facilities and construction management oversees the custodial network.
“Our custodians have done an amazing job keeping our buildings clean and disinfected since the start of the school year,” Bob said. “They've worked very hard to support our students and staff and we're very proud of them.”