Oceanside superintendent calls bed bug concerns at high school a ‘rumor’

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Amid parental concerns that Oceanside High School was dealing with an issue involving the spread of bed bugs, Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Harrington wrote a letter assuring parents, staff members and students that the school was clean and safe.

“Unfortunately a rumor has spread after the sighting of two dead spider beetles this morning,” Harrington wrote on Oct. 25.

Last week, concerned parents began posting on social media that there is a bed bug issue at the school, but Harrington noted that the building was thoroughly inspected by a licensed exterminator and by a health and safety official from Nassau BOCES.

The exterminator told school officials that the insect, which was discovered on the security desk of the school’s Hall of Fame, does not cause infestation.

Harrington noted that the district regularly cleans and inspects all areas and follows a “proactive plan including routine servicing by a licensed exterminator.”

“We urge parents to contact our school building principals with any questions about our schools in order to obtain accurate and timely information,” Harrington wrote. “We will continue to maintain the protocols that keep our schools safe and clean.”