A contingent of school bus drivers are helping School District No. 73 Kamloops-Thompson facility and operations staff clean schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dave Taylor, cleaning books at Sa-Hali Secondary
"A bus drivers' usual workday cannot be delivered remotely, so this keeps those able to work during the pandemic, employed for the district in a meaningful way," said Allen Blohm, operations manager.
Transportation manager Sherry Kristjanson said while some drivers are off due to compromised immune and health issues, and some are self-isolating, about 40 bus drivers have been assigned a school to clean, and they work their usual shifts each week day.
"I am so impressed with our bus drivers who are willing to help out where needed," said Kristjanson. "I know they would be thrilled to get back to their normal day to day work but until then they are just happy to be pitching in where they can to help our district as we navigate through these challenging times."
"It's awesome," said Doug Marchuk, a school bus driver for the district. "It's great to know we are doing something for the kids even now, by helping make sure the schools are clean and healthy for them."
Marchuk has an affinity for the school he's working at, South Kamloops Secondary. He graduated from the school with his brothers, his mother was a secretary at the school, and his father was a groundskeeper there. His children graduated from SKSS, too.
For Rick Popoff, also a school bus driver for the district, this work is making the best of a challenging situation. He and fellow driver Dave Taylor are currently cleaning books in the library at Sa-Hali Senior Secondary.
"It's a very labour-intensive project, making sure the cover of each book is wiped clean," said Popoff. "It's going to take a while, but it's an important job."
"I really appreciate they were willing to step in," said Blohm. "We needed this extra cleaning done, and their efforts means we are able to maintain a high level of cleaning in our schools."