TULSA, Okla. -- A bed bug problem has surfaced at an area junior high and high school, and it’s not the first time.
Parents said they are now concerned about the health of their kids at Tulsa MET Junior High and High School.
A letter was sent home with students on Wednesday advising parents bed bugs were found in the school. School officials said they are doing all they can to keep students safe.
“I think it’s crazy,” a grandparent of a student at the school said. “Bed bugs [are] bed bugs. When you have one you get a hundred.”
The concerned guardian said she’s concerned about the health of her grandchildren and the probability they might bring bed bugs home.
“My granddaughters called me at lunch stating that they had seen bed bugs crawling on the tables,” the grandparent said.
The letter sent home with students reads:
" Tulsa MET Families, October 31, 2018
I would like to make you aware of a situation that is occurring at Tulsa MET Junior High and High School. A few bed bugs have been found in various classrooms and common spaces at our site. I have contacted the Tulsa Public Schools Maintenance Department with each siting of a bed bug. The maintenance department has contacted the pest control company who is contracted through the district.
The pest control company has not found any evidence of a bed bug infestation at Tulsa MET. We will continue to work with the maintenance department and the district-contracted pest control company to ensure that all measures are being taken to keep your students safe while at school. The pest control company has bed bug monitoring stations in various locations throughout the building to monitor for any bed bug activity.
Bed bugs tend to stay in cracks, crevices, dark, and warm places until they sense a presence of their host (a human body).
To help protect your student we are enacting the following measures immediately:
* All students will be assigned a locker
* All students will leave all backpacks, hoodies, jackets, purses, personal items in their locker upon arrival to school
* The only item/s students should be carrying to class will be their Chromebook, textbook, and pencil/paper
* Students will need to provide their own combination locks for their locker assignments
* If these measures do not prove beneficial, more stringent procedures will be enforced
To help protect your home we recommend the following steps:
* Launder all student/family clothing
* Launder all bed linens
* Launder all towels and wash cloths
* All plush items can be placed in a dryer for 30 minutes at 115 degrees (Ex.: Pillows, shoes, toys, stuffed animals, etc.)
Please feel free to contact the Tulsa Health Department 918-595-4200 for assistance and Tulsa Public Schools Health Services Department at 918-746-3364 with any additional questions or concerns."
The school emphasizes a pest control company did not find any evidence of a bed bug infestation.
Parents said this isn’t the first time they’ve received a letter like this.
“Last year they sent a letter home to everybody stating if they would just come forward, if they had bed bugs at home, they would pay for the spray,” the grandparent said.
Meanwhile, school officials are doing everything they can to keep the school clean.
Students are asked to take precautions to keep the bed bugs away.
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