Sascha Wilson
Senior Reporter
[email protected]
Parents of students at Cedar Grove Private School have raised concerns over the handling of a rodent problem at the institution, alleging that dead rodents were found inside school walls and that some students and teachers remained in classrooms affected by foul odours.
The concerns come as the school has closed for two weeks due to the issue.
Guardian Media was contacted by concerned parents who claimed students were relocated without their knowledge and that sanitisation efforts were either inadequate or not conducted over the weekend.
Additional allegations included poor garbage disposal practices, an unkept lot near the compound, rat droppings in classrooms and the presence of roaches in the lower school. Some parents also alleged that repeated complaints from parents and staff were ignored by the school’s administration and board.
However, Cedar Grove Cooperative Society Board of Directors president Michael Shand rejected several of the claims, saying many of the complaints were “outright wrong and false.”
He said the situation was not an infestation but an isolated, acute rodent issue that was being addressed.
“If any dead rodents were found is because we would have laid bait,” he said, explaining that once discovered, the rodents were removed safely.
Shand also denied that students or teachers were required to remain in affected classrooms. He said the school conducts planned pre-occupancy inspections and cleaning activities at the start of each day.
He said if droppings or odours are detected, the affected classroom is relocated to an auxiliary space while interventions are carried out to ensure the environment is clean and safe.
He further rejected claims that no sanitisation was conducted over the weekend, saying teams worked throughout the period carrying out deep cleaning, sanitisation and pest-control treatments.
The school does not store garbage on its compound, Shand said, adding that waste disposal bins are located on a nearby street. He also said the board had received no complaints regarding roaches.
Regarding concerns about unkept lots near the school, Shand said those lots do not belong to the school, but efforts were underway to have the issue addressed.
He acknowledged there had been a communication gap following the initial discovery of rodent droppings but said the board, which maintains regular communication with shareholders, had since taken direct responsibility for updating parents and stakeholders.
In a statement, the board said pest-control providers believe the rodents’ presence at the school was triggered by the recent clearing of a vacant lot directly opposite the campus.
The board said a decision to transition to remote learning took effect on Tuesday after a mandatory inspection revealed continued pest activity around the compound, despite deep-cleaning efforts carried out over the weekend.
It assured that it is working closely with the Ministry of Education and the Penal Regional Health Corporation and has engaged independent specialists to address the problem.
Shand said the school is aiming to reopen within two weeks, allowing time for the completion of required works followed by a monitoring period to ensure the issue has been fully addressed and does not recur before students and staff return.
