Central Decatur’s Superheroes
It takes teams of superheroes for a school to function efficiently each day. The Central Decatur operations team, made up of the transportation, facilities and maintenance, nutrition and office support staff provide critical services that impact every student, every day. The operations teams’ top-notch commitment is key to Central Decatur’s success. Their consistent work and constant displays of compassion ensure that Central Decatur is a place for students to learn and grow.
The Custodial Team
The custodial staff works year round and kicks it into high gear during the summer months when students and staff are gone. They will tackle one room at a time to completely empty it while scrubbing each item as it exits the room. They paint the room if needed and clean from top to bottom. The carpets are treated and shampooed and tiles are deep cleaned and a few coats of seal give them a brilliant shine. One by one each room is done until all rooms in the district are cleaned.
There are many projects that the custodial staff tackle during the summer. We have many filters in the heating units to change out. We have been and will continue to change more classroom lighting to LED over the summer. Curbing and crosswalks will get a new coat of paint along with hallways and the needed classrooms. There are many projects both big and small and simple as every clock gets a new battery installed.
Custodians are year round employees and earn well deserved vacation time. The vacations are scheduled as soon as school is out, staggering them as to always have some here to begin the summer cleaning as well as attend to the parts of the building still in use by others and summer school students.
The Transportation Team
Our transportation team is led by Brian Broich, as our Director of Transportation. The transportation department operates 12 buses and 7 vehicles. Our buses are equipped with digital video cameras to monitor student behavior. Their daily bus routes are 561 miles a day that the 12 drivers drive. In addition to their daily bus routes they provide transportation to around 145 extracurricular activities a year. They do a great job transporting our students safely to and from school and activities.
The Nutrition Team
Our nutrition team is led by Nicole Martz. She and her team of helpful staff members feed breakfast and lunch to nearly 700 students each day. The CD Nutrition program has been awarded grants for daily fresh fruit and veggie snacks for elementary students and Farm to School grants for supplying locally raised food items for school meals. The nutrition staff take care of Cardinals home and away making sure each student has access to a healthy meals whether they are at school or on the road for a field trip. Their countless and early morning hours serve our students the nutrition they need to make the best of their school days.
Not Pictured: Carrie Hutchison
2025 Radon Testing
Recently, the Central Community School District completed the process of testing its buildings for radon. We recently received good news: Our test results came back below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advised radon action level of 4.0 pCi/L. This means we now have peace of mind that our students, staff and community are learning in spaces that are as safe as possible from radon.
What is radon and why does it matter? Radon gas cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and moves upward through cracks and other openings in the foundations of buildings from the soil under a building. In the United States, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers.
The State of Iowa requires radon testing at least once every 5 years for all Iowa public school attendance centers, licensed preschools and licensed child care centers.
To learn how to accurately do the initial radon testing ourselves, we saved taxpayer dollars by receiving training from the School Radon Training & Support System facilitated by Energy Association of Iowa Schools (EAIS). If we would have found elevated radon in our school, EAIS would have coached us through the process of fixing it. EAIS also helped us proactively place our school building on a multi-year rotating radon test schedule so we can continue to ensure radon safety in the future.
For most students and staff, research suggests that schools are actually the second largest contributor to radon exposure. The home is likely to be the most significant source of radon exposure. Please test your home for radon and if necessary, take action to reduce the risk of lung cancer by reducing elevated radon concentrations.
If you have questions regarding radon testing for the Central Decatur Community Schools, please feel free to contact Chris Coffelt, superintendent, at chris.coffelt@centraldecatur.org. More information regarding residential radon testing can be found at www.epa.gov/radon.