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What they found at Peck Elementary in Ansonia is cockroaches. I saw a few of them myself today. The Health Department says there are no signs of an infestation here, but their word is not good enough for some parents, who kept their kids out of school today. Classes at Peck Elementary began without some first graders. Some women kept their children home because of cockroaches in the classroom. Denise O'Connor, Parent: "I was going over to get a drink and there was two of them right on the water fountain." Pam Ross, Parent: "My daughter told me they were stamping them, while they were eating, and they were spraying them, and Mrs Dalton had to open up the window cause the fumes were getting so bad." Parents also say they were not informed about the roaches. School officials say they didn't see a reason to alarm parents. Carol Merlone, Peck Elementary Principal: "Pest control comes in on a monthly basis and takes care of the school like any public dwelling. There are pests in any public facility." Officials say they couldn't move the kids out of the classroom because the school, built in 1905, has no spare rooms. Not even a cafeteria or gymnasium. That's why the kids were eating their lunch as the janitor tried to get rid of the roaches with a can of bug spray - a danger for kids to inhale.
Shane Lockwood, Naugatuck Health District: "The janitor or janitors were probably trying to correct the problem. In the future, they will leave that to the professionals." The Health Department says those spray can fumes are especially dangerous for kids who have asthma or any other breathing problem. The school says it brought in professional fumigators after school yesterday, and after seeing cockroaches today, will being them in again. Meantime, Mrs. Dalton's class is studying in the library. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT |
Roaches Infest School, Some Parents Keep Kids Home