Schools

Malverne Schools Respond to Dead Rodent Discovery in Herber

Dead mouse found in cafeteria of Howard T. Herber Middle School Friday.

Early-risers who arrived at in Malverne Friday before classes began found a disturbing sight on the floor of the cafeteria.

A dead mouse raised some concerns from parents and students about the cleanliness of the school, especially its dining and food preparation areas, but school officials say this was an isolated incident.

"The school does have a maintenance program to prevent against mice and other rodents," a spokeswoman for the district told Patch.

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She said the cold weather must have prompted the mouse to seek shelter inside the school building and Thursday's snow day interfered with custodians' cleaning schedules. The maintenance workers were busy that morning still removing snow that had fallen outside the building the previous day, so they didn't have a chance to make their rounds of the interior of the school yet. If they had, they would have disposed of the rodent before the students arrived that day, she said.

Still, she assures parents and students that the visitor came in alone and that like all schools, Herber undergoes regular health inspections.

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"It's just one stray dead mouse," she added. "They aren't running rampant in the schools."


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