Savoy Elementary School (Photo via Facebook)
A D.C. public school in Southeast has been experiencing a bed bug and rodent problem for months and some parents are concerned about how the extermination process is being handled.
In mid-January, Savoy Elementary School posted a Facebook note in response to concerns about rodents that were voiced on the social media site. The post said that over the winter holiday, officials conducted a mass trapping. In addition, a pest control company performed an extensive assessment of the school and identified areas of concentration.
“There is not a bed bug infestation,” the post read. “Single isolated incidents with one adult and one child have been cited.”
But as the issue persisted, school officials sent a letter to parents last Friday with more detailed information. The letter labeled the problem as “a recent increase in unwanted pests.”
The letter said that, as of December, exterminators were coming to the school three times a week to address the problem. Plus, the Department of Health placed chemicals outside of the school and near surrounding commercial businesses and school officials created a cleaning plan “to ensure no new nesting will occur.” Professional cleaners “thoroughly cleaned out” closets and storage areas and officials purchased new mats for preschoolers.
The principal held a meeting for parents on Monday morning where health officials provided information on how to detect and eliminate bed bugs outside of the school, according to DCPS spokesperson Janae Hinson.
The school has remained open during much of the extermination process, and parents are increasingly worried. Aaron Doughty told Fox 5 News that he plans to keep his children out of school until the problem is resolved because he began to spot bed bugs on them around Christmas and it’s gotten worse since then. “I’m very concerned about the situation,” he said.
Another parent told Fox that they found out about the rats and bed bugs on the news, “then, the school doesn’t notify the parents until four days later.”
Hinson says she is not sure when Savoy’s administration first notified parents about the issue. She’s also unsure when the extermination process will be complete.
