Bedbugs found at Lorain high school

LORAIN — Lorain teachers filed a grievance after complaints of bedbugs in classrooms, according to the union. Lorain Education Association president Jay Pickering said the teachers initiated the grievance process after contacting the building administration to report bedbugs in B121 and B104 the week before Thanksgiving. He said teachers found live bedbugs Nov. 19 and 22. When teachers allegedly received no response from high school executive director Rae Bastock, Pickering said the grievance process was started Nov. 22. "They were really concerned because there was nobody coming around saying 'OK, if you find them, here's what you do' ... It was ignored by the administration," he said. District Board Policy notes bedbugs do not carry disease, but their bites can cause irritation and nuisance. It states students' parents or guardian are informed when a bedbug is found in their child's classroom, but Pickering said nothing was done until the union filed its grievance. The Chronicle-Telegram was contacted by teachers at the high school Nov. 25 regarding bedbugs in the B building, where the bulk of classrooms are. Work orders were requested from the district late that evening, but have not been provided. Chief Operations Officer Jeff Hawks did not respond directly to email questions sent Nov. 26 asking if the district was treating rooms for the pests, but did provide a statement Monday. That statement sent to The Chronicle was similar to what was provided to teachers later that evening and sent home with students Tuesday. "It has been brought to our attention that bed bugs have recently been found in the B building of Lorain High School. As part of the protocol, a work order will be filled out and a contracted entity will come in and inspect the entire building for an infestation. In the event where a bed bug is found, the insect is removed and contained so it does not have an opportunity to transfer to a student, visitor or staff member. The instructor or individual who locates any insect, that appears to be a bed bug, is expected to contact the school nurse and building administrator so protocol can be followed. Once the insect in question has been contained, and a thorough inspection of the building takes place, cleaning staff will then conduct a deep clean of the area. Managers and cleaning staff are trained to look for bedbugs and are aware of the procedures used to inform, clean and monitor areas where bedbugs are found. No Lorain Schools building has ever been found to be infested by bedbugs, to date. If an infestation were to be found the district would contract with a company to eliminate the issue." The district did not respond to follow-up questions sent Monday, including if students were required to return to the classrooms where the bugs were found or face disciplinary action. Pickering said Tuesday teachers were aware of which students were suspected to have brought the pests into the building and had contacted the school nurse when notifying the building administrators. He said an estimated 13 teachers could have been involved in the issue. Pickering said the letter being sent home with students implies administrators just found the issue. English Language teacher Sandra Peloquin said Tuesday evening she has stopped carrying a book bag or coat for fear of picking up any of the insects. Peloquin teaches English as a second language and accompanies a handful of students to different classrooms in the building, including in one of the allegedly affected rooms. She said she was made aware of the issue Nov. 22 by other teachers and is worried for the students who may have initially carried the pests into the building. "This is a family obviously in trauma, and we need to help them," she said. "I'm a parent and if my kid brought them home and the school knew about this situation, I'd be incensed. I mean, I'm scared to bring them home too — I know there are some teachers who are changing their clothes in the garage before they go into their houses." Bedbugs, which can be found in or around mattresses or soft surfaces like couches, can require deep cleaning or replacing that furniture, or chemical treatment if an infestation occurs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. "I don't know anybody who could afford to do this to their house," she said of some of the treatments. "It's not like lice — I'm a mom, my kid had lice when she was 5, she's 24 now, that was a nightmare ... But this is like so expensive. That's my fear, not just for me but other families." Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.