About those deep cleanings and PPE

 Right or wrong, I sometimes feel like the school board doesn't want to know what is happening. I also sometimes feel as if the super doesn't always want them to know, an assertion that current and former members of the administration have echoed to me. So I know, I asked on several Facebook pages dedicated to local public education about those deep cleanings and the PPE our classrooms are supposed to get and have.  

Note I am not being critical of our hardworking custodial staff, which at my school was down to two for the last few days last week. They are put in an untenable situation and I know are working as hard as they can. To me, it is the district at fault for putting them and our staff and students in no-win situations. 

This is the question I asked.

DCPS teacher friends have those deep cleanings they promised materialized, and has the district provided enough supplies, wipes hand sanitizer, etc. to make you feel comfortable? You can private message me if you want.

Each break represents a separate comment.

Friends and family just asked me about this. We have been given nothing. I dole out sanitizer before and after lunch, end of class, and we wipe down tables and counters between classes. It’s expensive. There are masks for students and adults in the office.

I've gotten nothing. I've seen no deep cleaning. They don't even clean the cafeteria tables.

I can barely get them to clean my bathroom much less deep cleaning. I wipe the student’s tables each morning.

I'm told a new custodian contractor was hired. At my school, we have half the custodial staff that we've had in previous years.

As a mother of a 6th grade science teacher at XXXXXX....I have invested in my daughter's class with a constant stock of wipes, hand sanitizer, hand soap and disinfectant spray. I'm also purchasing an air purifier...We are not relying on the district....it's an investment...but I have to support her as she pushes to educate our children during such a dangerous time!

Given nothing. Had some leftover from last year. No sanitizing I can see. Thrilled the week-dead cock roach was finally swept away.

I had one of those, too. Poor carcass lay there for a week. Proof that no one even swept, much less sanitized.

I am not a teacher but when I attended orientation, all the hand sanitizers were empty. The school was packed to the brim with people. No hand sanitizer to be found.

Nope

No, I find the same trash on the floor from the previous day.

Good morning I see everyone wants everyone to wear masks ( good ) but I see NO one talking about if the school is giving out hand sanitizer, soap and wipes cleaning supplies. I know just in my class I have gone through one bottle of Clorox to clean tables . The janitors are NOT cleaning the tables I don’t see hand sanitizer given out many friends say they bring there own in . I left one table dirty to see if it was there in the morning. YES . With coughing, sneezing and any other bodily fluids it needs cleaned . If germs are on the table and they touch it don’t wash there hands go home rub there mouth guess what they might of picked up Covid. This will help! Pls do NOT use my name just make a post make sure they bring in supplies to clean

No deep cleanings happening at my school. Barely see surface cleanings!! The kids and I do most of the cleaning. I am lucky if they mop my room after sweeping. And no, we are not provided with disinfecting wipes and last year they gave us hand sanitizer, but nothing yet this year. I asked parents to help provide these items, and I have also purchased some too to get me started.

In response to your post. No. I have not seen any deep cleaning. Just our normal custodians. And as for supplies, the only reason I have enough is because I teach elementary, and parents send things in

Hi Chris. No signs of any “deep cleaning” taking place in my room. We were given a bottle of hand sanitizer & a package of alcohol wipes. Our principal told us in one email to be sure to have the kids working in pairs or groups. She reminded us to keep all doors and windows closed at all times. Some of our students who test positive write to us to let us know why they’ll be out but we never hear a peep about it from admin. What was I talking about oh yeah deep cleaning… Nope, not happening.

Our custodials only take the garbage out... if they do.. there is no cleaning or disinfecting whatsoever. They have given me 1 big hand sanitizer and 2 wipe containers. No shields, I've been asking for my desk shield and still have nothing. XXXXX is in the XXXXX the lowest income area, a lot of our students don't come from clean homes. And the school is not helping either

Not only has the deep cleanings promised never showed, but we’re down to 5 custodians when we previously had 6. Last year they at least grabbed the trash daily. As of Friday, mine hadn’t been taken out since Tuesday. Admin is aware of the issues and told us to put in maintenance requests if there were concerns. Off record as I don’t want to be fired. Oh, and I have 250+ students assigned to me, so they’ve traveled through the room twice with no trash pickup.

My school XXXXX hasn’t supplied ANY ppe. No mask ( when I asked they said since it’s not required we don’t supply it) even for students who want to wear a mask but theirs have broken. No sanitizer no nothing! No desk shields (I asked). Not even any seating chart for the cafeteria kids can sit next to any class member any day as long as they sit at the tables designated for my class. Terrible.

lack of custodial staff and cleaning not getting done inside classrooms. Teachers having to do it.

It’s interesting that when it was Covid -19 we were masking, hand sanitizer, wiping desk, had up cubicle protector and supposedly it was not that contagious from hs student to teacher. It was 15 minutes or more around them. Now, with the Delta variation it only takes 8-9 seconds and we really aren’t doing any of that other stuff. Plus, they want us doing groups! I just don’t think groups are safe!

The answer to your question is NO very little soap most likely left over from last year same with hand sanitizer. That will be gone this week . I found half bottle of lysol cleaner 3rd day of school to clean tables . I clean as much as I can . Why , because I don’t want to get sick my self . It’s sad we are not given the stuff to clean with make sure the kids or ourselves get sick . Letters need to go to that parents To bring things in

And I could have gone on.

Now 2 teachers out of the dozens that responded said they were happy with what was happening in their schools. 2

Friends we should either do better or stop pretending we are.