By Maya Schwartz Throughout our years as students, the janitors in the halls have been omnipresent, something we are accustomed to. These individuals have also been dramatically overlooked. However, as we return to hybrid learning next month, it is worth acknowledging that janitors and cleaning services are putting their safety on the line to clean areas with risk of COVID exposure; they are saving student lives from this dangerous virus. School janitors, building, and company custodians generally work extremely early and/or late shifts, are tasked with cleaning up trash and messes around the facility within the day time and maintaining the cleanliness of our schools and businesses during the nighttime. As we shift back into hybrid learning next month, it is vital that we recognize the janitorial tasks that have been amplified times one-hundred during the COVID-19 era. Provisional PPE (personal protective equipment) for the janitorial systems of many schools and facilities nationwide has gone overlooked, paired with issues of understaffing and overcrowding. According to long-time custodian of a Washington high school, Fasika Getahun is becoming increasingly anxious about her precarious situation and of putting her family of seven children at risk. As a single mother, she is caught in a Catch-22: relying on her custodial job to provide for her family, yet in the position of putting herself and her family at risk due to her thankless, dangerous occupation. She says, “I am worried. I have family, my children in my home. There's no masks or anything for us. How are we expected to clean?" Even as students nation-wide continue with virtual learning, the work never ceases for these devoted workers. In schools, they continue to disinfect Chromebooks and other supplies required for a comprehensive virtual learning experience, as well as tending to the upkeep of the educational facilities themselves, making them safe for occasional staff and students to enter. For this, the custodians here at Crescent Valley and in educational facilities and businesses across America deserve more praise and appreciation than they have been given. It is also imperative that workers in this field be supplied proper protective equipment, for these individuals are the soldiers on the frontline of this devastating pandemic. In this time, custodians are not simply doing their job; they are putting their lives on the line for the safety of our communities. We thank all of the custodial staff at Crescent Valley High School, and appreciate your dedication immensely. Bibliography: “Custodians Feeling the Stress of Working Without PPE.” Cleaning & Maintenance Management, 2 Apr. 2020, www.cmmonline.com/news/custodians-feeling-the-stress-of-working-without-ppe. McCausland, Phil. 'We Answered the Call': Custodial and Sanitation Workers Demand Support amid Outbreak. 1 Apr. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/we-answered-call-custodial-sanitation-workers-demand-support-amid-outbreak-n1173276. https://www.cmmonline.com/news/custodians-feeling-the-stress-of-working-without-ppe https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/we-answered-call-custodial-sanitation-workers-demand-support-amid-outbreak-n1173276 If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. If you would like to submit a single article - or anything else like creative writing, an opinion, an art piece, photo or photo series, or something else entirely - then you can do that using this form: https://forms.gle/WAHSoWJuVwK3q5du6. If you want to contact us for any reason, you can email
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