Custodians by definition are heavily involved in public facility security. With the most recent high profile shooting in Florida, resulting in 17 of our users, dead; we have to be involved in the discussions going on around the country, about security.
I work in a large, modern, very public High School. It can be described as a school with a multi purpose public event center attached, or an event center that has a school of approximately 600 students attached. I, as one of the athletic/activity/pool operator custodians, am the face of that conflict between access and lockdown. Security is the first thing I deal with on shift, making sure the proper doors are either open or locked down, and the last thing I do before checking out. When a practice is done, the needed doors for use, are locked down. It is a habit, a way of life, to check every door I go by or through. Students, athletes, coaches (the worst), administrators, teachers, officials, and the public are very demanding of their rights to access in public facilities, and very creative at providing for it when we are not there.
Security is a core responsibility for custodians in public facilities, and that demands our professionalism in providing for it.
So lets talk about it. Describe your successes, your failures, your frustrations, your ideas of how we can public facilities accessible, usable, and safe. How many of us are armed? Have access to arms?. Tell us your stories. Lets make custodians part of the discussion.
A Professional Custodian 