Marshall Public Schools confirmed a case of bed bugs in the high school library on Tuesday, February 11.
According to a release from Marshall Public School Superintendent Dr. Carol Maher, this is the second incident since students returned to school this semester. The original case, still believed to be an isolated one, was reported at Northwest Elementary School approximately 10 days ago.
Both areas have been treated and cleaned, then treated again for safety.
The district will continue to monitor the situation and address as needed.
Following is a list of questions presented to and answered by Dr. Maher.
When was the Board of Education notified of the first incident? If all board members were not notified, did you notify the President of the Board?
The Board president and vice president were notified when I was, Tuesday.
When was the first incident? The first incident, a trailer at NW, was two weeks ago. There was one bug found and no eggs. I was not notified as one bug is not considered an infestation, as only when there are eggs found is it considered a large enough number to involve the entire district.
Is it true Bueker Middle school had an issue with bed bugs earlier this year? Yes, there was a single bug and no eggs found there. I was not notified, as this was not an infestation.
Why did the school decide not to notify the public immediately? The public was informed immediately upon the confirmation of an infestation in Marshall High School. (There were bugs and eggs found in the library.) As with lice, illness, etc. the district doesn’t report individual incidents. That is done when there is more than one confirmed report.
What treatments were done and when were they done? The furniture was removed from the suspected rooms in NW and Bueker. The areas were sprayed.
When is the High School getting treated? Special equipment is needed and will be delivered to MHS early Friday morning. Treatment will consist of heating the room to at least 115 degrees for several hours. Heat kills bugs and eggs. That area has been closed and is not accessible to students, staff, etc.
What precautions are being taken to protect all students and families from the spread of infestation? We cannot contact, or single out, the family of a student suspected of being a carrier, so we all need to be vigilant and alert, just in case. If a bug is found on clothes, a backpack, gym bag, etc. put the article in the dryer for an hour then place it in a plastic bag for disposal. Do not dispose of an article without treating it with heat.