MONTREAL -- With the school year beginning in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, keeping the halls and classrooms clean is more important than ever.
Maintenance staff is getting extra training to make sure they're up to the challenge by giving them a crash course on everything from what products to use to how to properly disinfect a classroom.
"That's something we never did before. We cleaned a classroom. Now we disinfect," said Denis Vallieres, head caretaker at Howick Elementary.
Vallieres said there is plenty to learn.
"We have new products, (and) we learn how to use the product," he said. "Like never use the hot water, the percentage you should use, never use buckets (etc.). We have to use just spray bottles, so that's new procedure, but easy to follow."
The New Frontiers School Board has had some experience with the new procedures already as half of its schools reopened in the spring because they're outside of Montreal.
"We've learned a tremendous amount," said New Frontiers director general Rob Buttars. "We've worked hard at putting plans and procedures in place, and we see the value of our staff in making this happen."
The board hired 15 new custodians over the summer to help keep the schools virus free.
"Not only do they have to learn about the culture of our school board an all the procedures they need to know how to properly clean and disinfect," said Buttars. "We know that we have the top products, and we have to make that our staff is using it properly and efficiently."
It's just one more line of defence against a virus that has changed the way we do just about everything.
