Mariana Ramos
Children in a South Side elementary school have not been able to much learning done due to an infestation of rodents, yep. Rodents.
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Bronzeville’s Mollison Elementary School is struggling to eradicate a newly found rodent problem. City inspectors gave the South Side elementary school a failing grade earlier this week on the clean-up efforts for the contagion.
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According to WGN9, the local School Council committee had a walk through with the health department around 8 A.M. this Thursday. We are awaiting results but really hoping it was much better than Monday’s walk through.
Because on Monday, what they found on the walk were- 285 mice droppings dispersed throughout the school, and yes that includes the Pre-K classrooms, the library and the staff lounge. To the health inspectors, this was enough proof to label the situation a critical health violation. But why did it get to this point?
Matter of fact, nobody knows. Chicago Public School officials claim that over the Thanksgiving break and holiday, they exterminated and performed a “deep cleaning.” However, the findings from Monday contradict their statement.
Chicago Public Schools facilities manager Leslie Fowler also claims that last week on Wednesday, CPS crews set more than 300 traps inside the school. Following the procedure, on Sunday they preformed the deep cleaning. Some parents were also invited to do a walk through on Monday and they couldn’t believe their eyes.
They took pictures showing the rodent droppings in classrooms, hallways and closets after the cleaning. CPS responded to the photos by stating that those closets had been locked and inaccessible.
“Rodents, mice droppings, mice pee can make you very sick. We’ve had kids leave because they’ve been sick,” said Jeanette Taylor, former local school council representative.
Supplies were boxed up and dragged by the cartload from the school Tuesday.
“The problem is they need to clean the school up. They need to shut it down and clean it up and not let kids come ’til it’s clean,” said Stacey Wright, who has five children enrolled at the school.
School officials said they’re continuing to clean any remaining traces of rodent before health inspectors return Thursday.
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“I have to take off of work to make sure my kids is safe at this school. I have nowhere to put them. If they shut the school down, where they gonna go? Who’s gonna watch them?” asked Stacey Wright.
For now, the Department of Public Health has not shut down the school, but they have been instructed to not serve hot food.
