SOMA School District Gets Letter About ‘Mice In Buildings’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A letter from the Maplewood Health Department about “the problem of mice in school buildings” has prompted the South Orange-Maplewood School District to heighten its pest management protocols, administrators say.

South Orange-Maplewood school administrators sent parents and guardians a statement this week about the health officer’s letter, which they said is “an issue which the district addresses year-round.”

According to SOMA district administrators:

“In response to the letter from the Maplewood Health Officer, SOMSD has heightened our monitoring for pests, met with cleaning crews, expanded our cleaning and prevention protocols, and increased the frequency of pest control treatments. We are paying extra attention to all areas designated for food preparation or consumption.”

Building principals will be notified directly if there are additional steps which need to be taken in their school, administrators said.

School officials asked parents and students to help “combat mice” in their buildings in the following ways:

• Limit food in areas outside of cafeterias to the fullest extent possible.
• Store snacks in metal or hard plastic containers that prevent mice entry.
• Pack lunches in containers which prevent mice entry.
• Remind children not to open their lunch boxes until they are in the cafeteria.
• Ensure that wrappings and leftovers are only disposed of in proper receptacles

SOMA SCHOOLS AND PEST CONTROL

SOMA administrators stated that the district follows an integrated pest management plan which complies with state requirements for schools, including the stipulation that schools must use methods that eliminate mice and other pests, but which are “safe for everyone else.”

Administrators said that the district uses three steps approach to manage pests:

Monitoring – “The first step is to monitor and identify pests. Pest control logs are available in the main office of each school. When a sighting or area of concern is identified, the information is placed in the log. On a regular schedule, a vendor comes in and treats the areas reported in the log. Measures have been stepped up in areas designated for food consumption and large group areas will always be assumed as an area of concern. Custodians are being instructed to list pest sightings or evidence of pest sightings in the logs.”

Prevention – “The number one rule to managing pests is to limit food consumption to designated areas of the buildings. In addition to limiting food sources (pests are attracted to food) throughout the building, the district re-organized custodial services to improve the cleanliness of the buildings. In addition to the Health Department’s request to limit food consumption in the classrooms, the district has been cleaning out the inside of all motorized equipment such as vending machines, thoroughly cleaning cafeteria equipment and floors, installing exterior-first floor screens to prevent mice from penetrating buildings through ventilator ducks, and continuing to seal holes and cracks to prevent mice from penetrating buildings.”

Control – “The district is increasing the frequency of treatment across all buildings.”

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