Supt.: Preble Shawnee schools handling bed bug 'problem'

The superintendent of Preble Shawnee Local Schools, in response to an anonymous complaint from a parent about an outbreak of bed bugs in the district, said he is following state and local guidelines to handle the situation and will not prevent the children who brought the bugs from attending classes.

The district sent a note home with students to parents on Friday reporting that bed bugs had gotten into the schools via some students.

Monday night, Superintendent Dale Robertson said the district is allowing the affected kids to bring an extra set of clothes to school, change out of the clothes they wear to school, and to have those clothes put in dryers. The heat kills the bugs, Robertson said.

"You just can't say to the kids 'you can't be at school,' " he said. The note that went home with students Friday occurred "the same day we became aware of it."

The parent, who said she has more than one child in the district schools, is upset that the district keeps children at home for maladies such as fevers and other physical illnesses but not for bed bugs. "I don't want my child going to school bringing bed bugs home," she said.

Robertson said, "we are following the guidelines as set forth by the Preble County Health Board and state of Ohio. This 'problem' has been traced to one family. In order to make sure we don't have a problem, we are following the guidelines to be sure it doesn't become a problem."

He declined to identify the family by name. The district includes Camden Primary School for K through grade three, West Elkton Intermediate School for grades four through six and a junior/senior high school.

Bed bug infestations are fairly common, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The insects, which feed on human blood, are usually active at night when people are sleeping. The bugs have flat, brown oval bodies and are about the size of an apple seed. Infested items such as clothing can be placed in a clothes dryer on high heat for about 20 minutes to kill the bed bugs and their eggs.

Robertson said there have been no calls of complaint to his office, and the principal at the school the affected kids attend has received one call from a parent who has complained about how the situation is being handled.

He said he has been superintendent in Camden for six years and "this is the first incident of this kind that I can ever remember. If people would call my office, we would tell them exactly what we're doing" to handle the situation, he said.

"You have to follow the guidelines," Robertson said. "You just can't make up your own rules" about keeping children out of school. "If you have a constant issue of it, maybe we re-examine it."