Pa. School Closed Due To Spider Invasion Reopens To Students

Students started their first day of school a Pennsylvania elementary school that was previously shuttered due to a venomous spider invasion.

Students at Montgomery Elementary School had a “great” first day Monday, according to the school’s Facebook page, which featured photos of students enjoying normal first day of school activities.

The school, located in the Tuscarora School District, announced in July it had to close the school so a pest control management company could exterminate venomous brown recluse spiders from the building.

“At this time, we are confident that the actions taken by the pest control company and the district have been effective, and to the very best of our knowledge, the spiders have been eradicated from the building,” the district said in a statement.

“Many of our faculty and staff have children that are attending this school building, and my own children attend this school. I am more than confident that the building is safe and ready to go, or I would not be sending my son,” said Principal Ryan Kaczmark.

In addition to the extermination treatments, the district said it will be replacing door sweeps, removing cardboard boxes, utilizing clear totes for storage and sealing-up crawl spaces the ensure the spiders are eradicated from the building.

“Along with these actions, the district will continue utilizing (extermination) services during school holidays to be proactive,” the district said.

Brown recluse spiders are not native to Pennsylvania but “isolated occurrences” have been reported, according to Penn State’s entomology department. The spiders, which are chocolate brown in color, are about 9 millimeters in length with long legs, according to Penn State’s entomology department

The spiders, which have three pairs of eyes, are venomous but the bite is often not immediately painful, Penn State says.

Symptoms of a brown recluse bite include chills, fever, bloody urine, fatigue, jaundice, pain in the joints, nausea, rash, and in extremely rare cases, convulsions and death.

“Affected tissue becomes gangrenous, turns black, and eventually sloughs off, leaving a depression in the skin. Healing is slow and scar tissue results from the wound,” according to Penn State.

If bitten, healing takes six to eight weeks, but sometimes up to a year if the wound is large, Penn State said.

“Brown recluse spiders are rarely encountered in Pennsylvania, but they may be transported in boxes and similar items from a locale where the spiders normally occur,” according to Penn State.

(Photo: Penn State)