NORFOLK, Va. — Small things grew into a bigger problem at Sherwood Forest Elementary School where staff members and students were dealing with a rodent infestation.
"Everybody is freaking out. They want their kids out," said Brittany Diaz, who has a daughter in Pre-K. "Absolutely disgusted. I want to take her home right now. I'm doing everything I can to get her out or moved or fix the situation. It's disgusting. There's no way my four-year-old should be around that."
Norfolk Public Schools said it became aware of an issue in September and began taking steps to address it then. Groups working together on it include custodial staff, professional contract services, and NPS’ certified employees for pest control.
Teachers who spoke with 13News Now on the condition of anonymity said the poop from the rodents is "all over" the school. They described finding urine-soaked papers and seeing one rat eating another one that was dead.
They shared photos showing poop in the computer lab, drawers, and ceilings. There were images of chewed-through food and even a dead rat.
Rodents at Elementary School
The elementary school administration held an emergency staff meeting on Tuesday to discuss the problem. The school division's executive director, the head of the custodial staff, and the head of risk management were part of the meeting.
Teachers said they think people are getting sick because of the situation. They've traps outside the school and rat poison near the playground that quickly was cleared away.
"They need to close that school and send the kids home until the things are fixed," stated Diaz. "Do you stay in your house when it's being de-infested or bombed? No! You take them out, remove the situation, and, then, bring them back to school. That's a no-brainer to me, at least."
The school division said it planned to have custodial staff members in the building the weekend of October 11 to October 13 who would be continuing to clean and sanitize the building. Norfolk Public Schools provided 13News Now with this statement:
Sherwood Forest Elementary School experienced some pest control issues recently that are being addressed by the custodial staff, professional contract services, and NPS’ certified employees for pest control. It was established that there was a low to moderate infestation of rodents in the school beginning mid-September. NPS is aggressively addressing it through our staff, and two contracted services to speed up the eradication. Risk Management performed air quality tests in multiple rooms and we’re awaiting the assessment results.
The treatment being done is in accordance with the Va. Dept. of Agriculture that governs the processes and procedures you can perform in a public building. We will have a site visit next week from a representative with the Va. Dept. of Agriculture to evaluate our processes and ensure it is in compliance with their regulations and provide support as needed.
The custodial staff will be in the school this weekend to thoroughly sanitize the school to continue and ensure a safe and clean learning environment.
