School at times moves fast, with our focus on grades, homework and friends. It’s easy to accelerate through it. Consequently, we often overlook those vital to making our experience at school safe, enjoyable and educational. Workers like custodians, librarians, lunch ladies and security. These workers provide massive impacts to our years in school, yet at times we give minimal appreciation. In 2023 in Los Angeles, school employees felt underappreciated and announced a strike for more recognition. This important issue can be prevented by getting a deeper understanding of the staff’s perspective and contributions, so that we as a society can give staff the proper recognition they deserve.
You have probably seen Mr. Wall patrolling the hallways. He works as security at Justice and is running on his 7th year here. With recent endangerment of students in schools due to gun violence, Mr Wall helps in providing a crucial role at Justice. “My number one priority is to make sure students and staff are safe and secure. One of my top priorities is to keep kids wanting to come back to school so they don’t have to feel like they’re being bullied or intimidated.” I interviewed students on their perspective of the importance of Mr Walls obligation and how he has helped them. Sophomore Hamza Ouzzad shares his thoughts, “Mr Wall makes me feel safe coming to school with me knowing that there is always somebody in the hallways to protect and notify us if anything is wrong.”, “Mr Wall also makes school a more positive place with his friendly conversations in the hallways” Hamza adds.
In addition to safety, staff also aid in securing students’ health. Ms.Villatoro, a public health nurse here explains what kind of problems she fixes at Justice, “some problems I encounter at Justice are complex medical needs for a lot of students, so I have to make sure each student that comes to Justice is safe as well as offering support they need medical related.” Additionally, staff like Ms Villatoro assist students in attaining insurance, care plans and connections to doctors.
According to FCPS, approximately 75.5 percent of students are eligible for taking the bus for transportation to school. This goes to show how important bus drivers are, but what motivates them to continue to work at Justice. John Jay Doures A bus driver for FCPS, relates it to the kids. He explains, “Honestly, I do it for the kids. I’ve known some kids ever since I started driving when they were 5th graders and now they’re seniors, so it’s nice to see them grow over the years.”
Overall, the jobs done by these staff is very telling of their commitment and dedication. We as society should shed more light on these contributions. Take some time out of your day to greet your bus driver, nurse or custodian. It’s important to show your appreciation to those who make up the backbone of Justice.