A suspected bed bug was found at Crosby High School recently, according to a letter from the principal.
According to a letter from Principal Jade L. Gopie, school staff contacted the City Health Department and School Facilities Division to begin a cleaning of the impacted areas once the suspected bed bug was found.
Bed bugs are common in the U.S. and do not pose any immediate health risk to humans, according to the CDC. Though not considered dangerous, a bed bug bite could cause an allergic reaction and any bites should be looked over by a doctor.
“Virtually all instances of beg bugs in a school environment are the result of the insect being carried in from the outside in isolated circumstances. The Waterbury Board of Education and the City Health Department consider the health and safety of students and our school community as a top priority. We will continue to work collaboratively and proactively to maintain the schools as insect free and to support the remediation of issues outside of the school environment,” Gopie wrote in the letter.
Gopie said all the impacted areas were cleaned and there will be follow-up inspections as needed.
There have also been recent reports of bed bugs at Waterbury Career Academy High School. School officials have said these are isolated incidents, but some parents are skeptical of the overall response.
“We send these kids to learn and now we have to worry about bugs coming home with them,” said Nicole Miele, who has a seventh-grader in the Waterbury Public Schools system.
Local
Her daughter Alexanderia Johnson, who does not go to Crosby or the Career Academy, said her principal has already discussed the issue with them.
“She said to be careful in case we saw a bug or something moving that shouldn’t be the in school to report it to the teacher,” she said.
