Last year there were over 1,000 confirmed cases of bedbugs in NYC schools.
This year, cases are even higher compared to last year at this time.
Given that bedbugs have become a very big problem in New York City and other big cities, having shown up in retail stores, movie theaters, government offices, corporate offices and even Goldman Sachs, you would think the DOE would take this stuff seriously.
But I don't get seriousness from this statement, let me tell you:
Education Department officials would not provide a list of all schools affected by bedbugs, stressing that a confirmed case can be the discovery of a single bug.
They insist there isn't an epidemic since schools have few beds and, therefore, have not become breeding grounds.
"We do not have infestations," spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said, noting the numbers reflect schools following reporting procedures. "Schools are required to report specimens."
There are few beds in schools so schools can't have an infestation of bedbugs?
WTF?
The morons at the DOE do know that bedbugs live in upholstered furniture, rugs or wood, can crawl into clothes and bags, and especially like clutter and papers and things like that which provide swell hiding places?
And the morons at the DOE do know that schools in NYC have lots of the items I listed above so bed bugs have lots of places to hide and wait for food?
From the above statement, I sense they do not.
But Mayor Bloomberg's own city agency report released in April 2010 called the bed bug problem a near epidemic and explained that
We strongly believe that the spread of bed bugs in New York City can and must be stemmed. The first step is to raise much greater awareness of this public health pest. Awareness is a pre-requisite for early detection of bed bug infestations--and early detection is the key to the mitigation of further spread and to efficient eradication. Because early detection is only part of the solution, we should ensure that sound bed bug management practices are widely known and adopted. Creating infrastructure to address bed bugs in New York City will be essential for the concerted effort to slow and stop their spread.
Above all, it is critical to begin the work of engaging all sectors of society in a broad cooperative effort to fight the spread of infestations. It is well known that the longer infestations are allowed to multiply, the more difficult and costly it will be to achieve control. The Advisory Board is confident that the adoption of the recommendations in this report will vastly improve the quality of life and economic vitality of New York City.
It looks like the people at the DOE didn't read the report and don't seem to care much about stemming the spread of bed bugs.
These people really shouldn't be in power.
Teachers should demand the DOE for the list of the schools infested with bedbugs. I would to see the DOE people working under this condition. It seems that most of the schools have bedbugs.
ReplyDeleteStay away from upholstered chairs, couches, rugs - anything with fabric. Also, do not allow students to put coats, bags, or gym clothes anywhere near your stuff. And keep your own coat and bag away from clutter. If you're really unsure or anxious about your school get ziplocs and put your stuff in that every day.
ReplyDeleteI've had a bit of experience with bed bugs that were brought home from work - be careful!
I was just getting ready to send you excerpts from this article--but you beat me to it. Isn't it ironic that the DOE is so eager to post teacher ratings in the media, but they refuse to provide a list of the schools experiencing bedbug infestations? One would think that students, parents and teachers have an right of be in possession of this information for their own protection.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great point! Bogus value-added rankings of teachers - those everybody can get. But a list of schools that hsve had bedbugs? nope - that's a state secret, covered by executive privilege or something.
ReplyDeleteThanks, anon! That will be a post for later tonight!
Any teacher who gets a bed bug infestation (or student for that matter) should make sure to pay the DOE offices a visit to let them know in person. And... make sure to wind your way around the building with your infested clothing! Gee, maybe then they will care.
ReplyDeleteIronically, one of my kids told me she saw a bedbug the day before the DN article was published. I didn't see it myself so I am not sure it was. But if people live in homes with beds and travel to school, of course they can be transported into the building. I would imagine the elementary classrooms would be the most at risk because it seems like they are more likely to be carpeted. Klein and co. just don't want to deal with anything that even remotely might make teachers look sympathetic. They disgust me.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I like your idea about traveling to Tweed with your bug infested clothes and bag and bites and leaving a few at Tweed. I think I will post about that later.
ReplyDeleteSecond anon, many times people mistake other bugs for bedbugs. My girlfriend brought bedbugs home from work (over 1/3 of the people in her office had them, so it is reasonable to assume that's where they came from.) She knew she had them from the type of bites (multiple bites in a line.) She began to capture and keep bugs she caught. All of them LOOKED like bedbugs. But when the exterminator came, he positively identified only one of the bugs she had caught as a bedbug. He found four others in the corner of the bedframe.
So five bugs found - and the damage done? Three extermination treatments, a dozen applications of diatomaceous earth, lots of tossed books and other personal items, nearly a thousand dollars in expenses and over 100 bedbug bites in total.
Still not completely sure that the problem is solved. It has been over two months since the last bites. But we STILL live in plastic - plastic bags for everything.
Until you've dealt with them (and she dealt with them worse than I did - as far as I know, she did not bring them to my apt., so I just take precautions and keep my fingers crossed), you have no idea how freaking traumatic the experience is.