FPS

Maintaining Classrooms

The district and the community have invested a great deal of money, effort, and time to provide new educational spaces for staff and students attending the Fremont Public Schools. We take great pride in maintaining our schools for current and future generations of students and staff. We ask for your cooperation in helping to keep the classrooms and other educational spaces in good condition to prevent additional maintenance expenses being used for repair/replacement of all items associated in the assigned rooms.  The listing below is meant as a general guideline in helping to achieve that goal.

1. Do not use tape on painted drywall to hang posters, papers, or artwork. Tape will damage paint and drywall.
2. Do not use nails, thumb tacks, straight pins, hot glue or other items on drywall surface.  The 3M Command Strips are acceptable to use on painted surfaces of all types.
3. Do not drag items on floor surfaces as it will damage the rubber flooring coverings.
4. Do not use any petroleum based cleaners on rubber flooring or waxed floors.
5. In areas that have motion detection lighting, please leave the light switches in the on position when leaving space. The motion detection is an added security deterrent during off hours. The light switches can be used when needing to control lighting for classroom presentations on LCDs or other devices.
6. Only use approved “dry erase” markers on the marker boards. No sharp pointed marking tools that may scratch the surface
7. Close window blinds at the end of each day and over the weekend if possible.
8. Do not attempt to alter the thermostats for heating and cooling needs. The district has programmed the thermostats to maintain temperatures in a standard comfortable 68-72 degree range. The building is also designed to be able to control each individual classroom temperature, as well as bringing tempered fresh air into each individual space. Please contact the building administrator if you experience a problem with temperatures outside the standard range.
9. Do not allow students to sit on student or teacher desktops or countertop areas.
10. Do not let students tip back in desks or drag the desk across the floor.
11. Lock doors when classrooms are not in use and also when you leave at the end of the day or after off hour use.
12. Report any damage, accidental spills, heating and ventilation issues directly to the building administrator and maintenance supervisor as soon as possible.
13. Do not tape items to carpeted floors, the adhesive cannot be fully removed and leaves a residue for dirt to cling to.
14. Throw rugs and carpet remnants should not be placed on existing school flooring material as they may cause a trip hazard.
15. Treat classrooms and other parts of FPS facilities as if they were your own home or apartment.

As with all FPS facilities, if damage is done by not following the recommendations, those costs may be charge back to the individual staff, student, or administration. You will find additional information in the FPS Certified Employee Handbook and Negotiated Agreement regarding care of rooms and school property. The Fremont Community is proud of the educational facilities and the education that takes place in those buildings. Please do your part in fostering that pride.

The facilities management office has made it easy to submit work requests online. There are two forms. First, is the Routine Maintenance Request form. This form is to be used when something already in your building needs attention. Examples of this work might be a faulty electrical outlet, damaged playground equipment, a toilet that won’t flush, or a thermostat that isn’t working.

The second form is the Item Transfer Request form. This form is to be used to move items between buildings within the district. This can include things like requesting tables for an event, moving P.E. equipment between elementary schools, or having something removed for discard. The vast majority of these requests should be sent by an administrator.

If you have a special work request that doesn’t fall in either category (e.g. you’re wanting something new installed, wanting a building modification, etc.) it is best to call the facilities office and speak with us.

With any work request, it is important that the information is shared with both the administrator and the custodian. The administrator needs to know what is coming in and out of his or her building and the custodian is often the maintenance crew’s first contact with questions.

Many items require Board of Education (BOE) approval for discard. Items such as old TVs, projectors, or specialty equipment (e.g. a broken pottery wheel) require approval. To dispose of these kinds of items you must follow the discard process detailed in the BOE policies.

To Dispose of an Item/Have a surplus item removed:

1. Administrators must approve of any items leaving their building. Once the administrator has approved an item for discard/removal…
2. Gather information on the item including description, model, any serial numbers, and the condition (poor, broken, obsolete, good).
3. Send that information to Laura LaDay to be put into the BOE agenda for the upcoming meeting. After BOE approval, Jeff will determine if the item(s) can be used somewhere else or if they are truly trash.
4. Submit an ‘Item Transfer Request’ (found on the Facilities homepage) for the crew to pick up the items. Include what the items are, where they are, how many, and that they have been approved for discard. (Once you know the items are on the list for the Board meeting, you can send an Item Transfer request and give the date they’ll be ready for pick-up.)
5. Mark all items clearly for the crew.

If you have any questions regarding disposing of something, always feel free to give Jeff (3141) or Lauren (3140) a call.

Flags are considered a site expense and can be ordered by your site from the vendor of your choice. If you do not have a vendor, feel welcome to contact the Facilities office for a recommendation. If you are located at an elementary building, contact Susan Perry and she can help you replace your flag.

Check with your custodian first. Custodians have ant/roach/spider/wasp spray at their disposal. If, after meeting with you custodian, it is decided that the issue is larger than a one-application solution, call the facilities management office and we can coordinate pest removal services.

If you order an item for your classroom/school/department/etc., please let Lauren or Rick know it is expected. UPS and FedEx regularly bring all district packages to the Pierce Street warehouse. Please also be sure a building/contact name/PO number are included on the package if possible. This will help us get the package to you promptly. Often, the easiest way is to forward your email confirmation to Lauren or Rick. Then we know who ordered it, shipping details, and what is coming.

Furniture inside buildings should not be removed. If your enrollment is not at the building’s potential, that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. Also, the district does not have enough storage space needed to store all “extra” items. Please keep these items in your building.

**If it is agreed that items are to be removed, the facilities department cannot guarantee they will be available in the event you need them again. Once items arrive in general storage they are available to the entire district upon request.

**See BOE policy on donations and memorials**

**A two week notice of a planting project is requested to ensure no damage is done and that the item is placed in the best possible location.

It is not uncommon for PTA groups or organizations to donate a shrub or tree for planting at a school. We are more than happy to help with these projects. There are four primary things the department considers prior to planting:

1. We are required to call the diggers hotline and have the utility organizations come out and mark their lines to avoid any costly damage to supply lines.
2. We must also consider our sprinkler lines and heads when digging holes.
3. Placement of the tree: Will this plant grow into wires? Over a roof? Grow into other trees?
4. Security Issues: Will this plant create any security issues in the future such as hiding places close to a building?