An elementary school in California is under fire after officials failed to deal with a massive rat infestation on campus.
According to CBS Los Angeles, several young children have come home with bites and rashes after classrooms at Villa Park Elementary School were infested with bugs, rats, and cockroaches.
Although school will finally be out for summer this week, many parents say school officials did not act soon enough to control the infestation.
Robert Slagle’s 11-year-old daughter is reportedly one of the kids who was bitten by mites that live on the rats.
The girl’s family took a photo of her bite-covered back in April to show what was going on inside the classroom, and Slagle says it has now happened again.
Slagle’s daughter Mika ended up leaving school at lunch earlier this week after her class was once again displaced when the rat infestation became too much for teachers to handle in the classroom.
“I’m more scared, I’m more worried. I don’t want to come back,” Mika said.
According to county experts, the rat problem is so extensive that they have recommended that several rooms and buildings remain closed until it can be fully taken care of.
The superintendent says the school district is working on the issue, but they are waiting for the entire school to be cleared out before they carry out their plan to get rid of the problem.
“If you kill the host the animal they live off, they will be looking for another blood-meal source, and this case it will be people,” Robert Cummings said of the mites specifically.
Several stations have shared this shocking story on Facebook, where many parents seemed disturbed that the elementary school would allow class to continue with a rat infestation.
“Go down to your local animal shelter. Pick up several cats, fix them, give them their shots, and turn the loose at the school. Kids get school pets and cats get to kill rats. Everyone wins,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.
“Gross!!!! School need better inspections from the health inspector . I would be so upset if this happened to one of my children. What a disgrace,” another added.
Wendelynn Ross, whose child reportedly attends the school, has been keeping her friends on Facebook updated on the whole rat fiasco for several weeks now.
In early June she wrote:
Including today, there are 9 school days left with 3 being half days.
For those who have been following my school updates here you go...
The MPR Room where they are going to put the 3 5th grade classes had been cleared of "rodent mites" BUT Found fresh "rodent droppings" all over the stage of the room. Currently 2 5th grade classes have been bussed to Serrano elementary while the 3rd 5th grade class has been put "somewhere else" on campus.
Grades are already recorded so here is my question...what do you do?!
The information I'm privy to is ONLY PRIVY to 5th grade parents!!
So what the fuck people!? Thoughts?!?!?!
**Update....the 5th Grade class is outside "playing" because they have no current classroom!!!
