For years now Bowie has had an issue with rats and insects like cockroaches, centipedes and crickets. Lately teachers have been reporting more and more sightings of these creatures. These appearances affect the classroom in various ways such as students getting distracted, the teacher getting distracted, and even students wanting to take their phone out and take a photo.
Specifically, the amount of rats inside the school is insane. I have heard stories from at least half of my teachers reporting rats in their room. On one hand, I don’t really mind it because as long as there aren’t any in my class period then there’s nothing to be scared of. But on the other hand, teachers are starting to restrict students from eating in their class because of the rat problem. I find that both reasonable and unreasonable because I get that some students may not want to pick up their trash and leave crumbs on the floor, but teachers also shouldn’t take out snacks entirely just for a small group of people. Overall, Bowie should try to get rid of rats entirely.
According to PNW Pest Press, rodents can cause damage to structures by chewing holes in various areas like doors, walls, and even electrical wires. Chances are that’s how most of the rats at Bowie enter the classroom. Rats can also spread diseases such as salmonella, leptospirosis, and even lyme disease. These diseases can infect students and staff making our school an unsafe environment for everyone. Getting rid of rats can erase these risks.
With rats living inside the school, they have to get rid of waste somehow. Breathing in rat droppings can cause even more disease just by breathing in the particles. One main disease caused by rat droppings is called Hantavious Pulmonary Syndrome.
Rats really enjoy a warm, dark, quiet, and hidden area near food. Rats can really enjoy living in the back space of a classroom, behind a vending machine, or even near broken areas outside of school property. Regularly cleaning these areas and cutting down their source of food can get rid of rats.
A potential solution for the issue could be having a deep clean in teachers’ classrooms during a free time. Teachers and other staffers could help each other clean their classrooms getting rid of unneeded old things like maybe textbooks they never use or old shelves. Taking these things out of the classroom can decrease the chance of rats or other insects from entering the classroom and taking shelter in the never used shelves or textbooks. Another solution for the food issue could be having a specific corner of the room to eat snacks. Students are expected to clean up after themselves and if they don’t then they can’t eat in that class again.
There are simple ways to keep rats from entering the classroom. Make sure to keep the room clean and avoid creating piles of clutter. Make sure to take the trash out regularly and keep food scraps either in a safe container, inside a fridge, or just the trash.
