When Silvia Fields started her custodial job at Dallas ISD 14 years ago at what’s now the Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, everything ran differently.
Today, the veteran custodian navigates touch screens and computerized systems that control the newly opened school’s operations.
“It’s a much larger building, of course,” Fields said of the school that opened this fall. “But all operations now are computerized and work off of touch screens. There has been a lot of training to learn how to operate the school.”
The shift highlights how custodial roles in schools are evolving beyond traditional cleaning duties.
Modern custodians must master new technologies while maintaining their essential responsibility for student safety and school cleanliness.
Fields and her three-person team, split between day and evening shifts, handle increasingly complex mechanical systems. These include computerized controls for heating, air conditioning, and other vital building operations.
“It’s a learning process and it has its challenges, but in some ways it’s easier than the old building because it was falling apart,” she said.
The technological demands haven’t replaced the human element of the job. Fields sees her team as integral to student success through daily interactions.
“We play a role in student success,” she said. “We are there for students because we have a lot of interaction with them. If they need help with something, we help. Especially now, they ask for help finding where to go, so we show them around.”
Custodians also serve as resources during parent events and coordinate with other staff members. They move furniture, open doors, and handle countless other requests that keep schools running smoothly.
Fields encourages other custodians to embrace the changing nature of their profession.
“I tell other custodians that they need to keep learning new things and taking on challenges so they can move up,” she said. “This job offers big opportunities and has its benefits if you take advantage of them.”