A recently opened public charter school in Lexington is responding to concerns from parents and students regarding the status of janitorial staff on campus. 

In an email acquired by the Chronicle, an American Leadership Academy teacher asked that students help with cleaning the classroom.

“Please be aware that our cleaning company is a little up in the air at the moment,” the email read. “I am the one sweeping and cleaning our classroom. Please be conscientious about the trash you leave behind as well as the state of your desk and chair.” 

The teacher requested that her name not be published and she did not comment. The email was sent out to both parents and teachers as a weekly course update that keeps parents in the know about their students’ education.

The claims were denied by Charter One’s director of marketing and public relations, Melody Hudson. 

“ALA Lexington has always retained a janitorial vendor; we have never been without janitorial services,” Hudson stated in an email to the Chronicle. “In alignment with our school values, we do ask staff and students to support minor daily upkeep and general tidiness of their spaces to help maintain our new facilities and show pride in the areas they work and learn in.”

Hudson did not disclose the name of the janitorial vendor currently used by the Lexington academy. She cited Charter One’s policy that does not allow information about corporate partners to be released.

There is no concrete evidence regarding the employment of a janitorial crew at the academy, but custodians have been seen around the campus by both parents and students. 

The academy is a K-12 public charter school operated by Charter One, a for-profit educational management company based out of Arizona. 

Charter One manages 19 charter schools in Arizona and six charter schools in North Carolina under the name American Leadership Academy. 

The academy in Lexington, which opened last month and is in the midst of its first school year, includes schools for grades K-5 and 6-12.

The Charter Institute at Erskine, the Lexington academy’s authorizer, didn’t immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

Academy students who spoke to the Chronicle said they haven’t noticed a state of disarray in or out of the classroom. However, Joseph Davis, a freshman at the Lexington academy, said he’s heard teachers talk about staying after school to clean their classrooms.

“They have been complaining about having to stay after, like a couple of hours, to clean up. My band teacher said that the custodial service isn't doing their job or whatever,” Davis said.

Davis said he has not been asked to clean more than what is typically expected in a school setting. 

Joseph and his brother both attend the academy after moving to South Carolina from Oklahoma. The academy was the motivating reason that convinced the family to move. 

Joyous Davis, mother to Joseph, expressed concern over the idea of the Lexington school not employing a janitorial crew. 

“My youngest son has a heart condition and the issue with that is if he gets some kind of infection that travels to his bloodstream, it could attack his heart,” Joyous said. “Strep is a big worry. We’re constantly concerned coming into the strep and cold season.”