(Area) Cleaning, disinfecting, and ordering supplies are just a few of the many tasks that school custodians are faced with amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A lot of work behind the scenes had to take place to get school buildings ready for occupants after a five month hiatus. Dennis Hullinger is the lead custodian at AHSTW schools in Avoca. Just like everyone else, he’s ready for it all to go away. “Oh yes sir I am. I am…it could go anytime.”
Among the biggest challenges has been finding a way for the students and staff to spread out within a structure that isn’t designed for that. “School’s aren’t set up to be anti-social, so we are faced with a challenge of trying to minimize social contact, but yet still have social communication.”
Cleaning and disinfecting procedures have been intensified to say the least. “We not only do our regular cleaning process which is wiping things down, vacuuming, the whole nine yards, but we also put into use spray guns with a viral chemical that kills viruses also. We incorporated that into our cleaning so it takes a little more time.” Plus additional lunch shifts have been added and some kids are eating in the classroom.
That’s not to mention finding the products to do the job. “I’ve probably doubled what we normally would use. It’s hard to find. I probably spend a couple hours or more on the phone just to find the products. That part has been a game changer.” He adds if you find something you need you have to buy it and you purchase enough to last for several months. In the past they’d simply order when they were about to run out of an item.
If there is a silver lining, it may be the fact that everyone works together and appreciates the efforts that are being made to keep kids safe. “I think from what I’ve gathered from the staff they realize what we are going through. They have been very appreciative of what we are doing. They have a pretty good realization of what is going on and they know the better we do our job the better they can do theirs and the healthier and safer people will be.”
