GRIFFIN, Ga. — A Spalding County school had to be treated by a pest control company after the district says custodial staff reported rodents at Anne Street Elementary.
11Alive first learned of the issue from a viewer, who described the situation as rats running rampant at the school. The viewer sent our news team a tip with photos, which they said shows rodent droppings on school paper. Along with these pictures came a list of allegations.
The tipster told 11Alive rats are running around parts of the building, including classrooms. They were also concerned about students and staff becoming sick because of it.
The most disturbing allegation is that a young student ate food from a rat trap.
Photos: Rat droppings found at Griffin elementary school
11Alive is the station Where Atlanta Speaks, and we took these claims to the Griffin-Spalding County School System. The district did confirm that they received a report of rodents from the custodial staff last month, but the issue was treated the next day and was resolved on Dec. 13.
"Since December, no other issues have been reported by students, staff, parents or administrators at Anne Street Elementary," the statement reads.
As for the claim that a student got sick, the district did admit a child ate a piece of candy that inadvertently fell on one of the sticky rat traps. The district did not confirm, however, whether the child got sick.
11Alive reached out to the Georgia Department of Health about the protocol for treating a rodent problem at a school. The department said, per state regulations, they can only inspect the kitchen area, not anywhere else in the school.
State records show the school scored 100 on its last kitchen inspection back in October and has received a perfect score since 2017. The department said they don't have any complaints on file for a rat concern at the school.
Nevertheless, it's unsettling for some parents.
"That’s alarming," said Ruth Garcia. "With the kids' food and things like that."
The Georgia Department of Health said the next scheduled kitchen inspection for the school is this spring. For more on how you can check a school’s inspection score, visit the Department of Health's website.
Meanwhile, the school district said the school custodian as well as the district’s facilities department will continue to monitor and treat the campus as needed.
"Our top priority is to ensure that we provide our students and staff with a safe, clean environment conducive to learning and instruction," it concluded.