Blue Island school board to address dead animal, unsanitary bathroom reports after custodial layoffs

CRESTWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- District 130's school board is expected to hear from a large number of community members at a meeting Tuesday night as concerns continue to grow over the cleanliness of schools across the district.

Teachers have raised complaints about conditions in school buildings, including reports of rodents, dead animals, and unsanitary bathrooms. New photos shared Tuesday showed what teachers said were concerning conditions they have faced over the past several weeks.

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The concerns come after the district ended its relationship with Local 73 custodians and laid off approximately 30 workers on Aug. 19 because of budget cuts.

Noah Cavazos, a custodian, and Local 73 union steward who lost his job as part of the layoffs, said students deserve better conditions in their schools.

"They don't deserve to be sitting in classrooms where there's mold and worrying about rodents and all that. They deserve to come to clean bathrooms every day, a clean classroom. There's other ways to cut budgets," Cavazos said.

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The board is expected to address complaints from teachers after reports that feces and urine were not being properly cleaned and that mice and fly infestations had been found in classrooms.

Cavazos said he was encouraged by the public response to the issue.

"I'm glad the community and the teachers and everybody is getting involved because the way the district handled this and did this to my staff didn't make any sense," he said.

The Illinois Education Association said new custodians who were scheduled to begin work on Sept. 8 have been understaffed and unable to maintain schools at what is described as an acceptable standard.

In a statement, the association said: "We're asking the district to revisit talks with our custodians, attempt to resolve whatever issues they are having with them, and bring them back to work in our buildings. We cannot continue to work in these conditions, and we have lost faith in the district's ability to resolve this issue with an outside company."

District 130 Board President Nicole Martinez also responded ahead of the meeting.

"I share that frustration. We are in this situation because serious service issues with our previous provider led to worsening conditions in our schools and the need for a change. Now, as we wait for required background checks to be completed, our focus must be on getting the appropriate staffing in place, holding our new provider accountable and ensuring our schools are clean and safe," Martinez said in a statement.

The District 130 board meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Community members are expected to address the board regarding the concerns.