Staff and parents at James Monroe Middle School in Albuquerque are reporting a recurring mouse infestation, with droppings, urine and dead rodents found throughout the campus, sparking health concerns and grievances against Albuquerque Public Schools.
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico —
Staff and parents at James Monroe Middle School in Albuquerque are speaking out about a recurring mouse infestation that has led to sightings of feces, urine and dead rodents throughout the campus, raising health concerns and sparking grievances against Albuquerque Public Schools (APS).
Ashleigh Schuh, a parent of a student at the school, said her son stopped eating lunch at school after hearing about rodents in the cafeteria.
“He had told me that he didn’t eat lunch at school because there were apparently rodents found in the cafeteria. That was the first time I heard about it,” Schuh said.
After asking his son more questions, Schuh said he learned additional disturbing details.
“There’s a mouse trap behind a trash can. Mouse droppings everywhere, he said, most of the classrooms smell like urine. The droppings can be seen everywhere. Throughout the school,” Schuh said.
APS confirmed to Target 7 that the first work order related to the issue was submitted on September 24. The district said technicians were on site daily to resolve the issue.
A staff member, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, shared photos and first-hand accounts of the infestation.
“We see mouse droppings, we see mice. One of our teachers had his things destroyed and chewed by mice. The students’ work, the food, everything, everything is contaminated,” the staff member said.
Photos sent to Target 7 and which were also shared with the Albuquerque Federation of Teachers (ATF) allegedly show mouse droppings, urine stains, damaged supplies and dead mice in various areas of the school, including a storage closet and glue traps.
Schuh, who had seen photos of droppings, reacted to additional images shared with ATF.
“Oh my God. Yeah, it’s really bad,” Schuh said. “I was told it was pretty bad. I didn’t know it was that bad.”
ATF has confirmed that some mouse-related staff illnesses have been reported to the APS medical provider.
Dr. Abinash “Ash” Achrekar, a UNM health expert at KOAT, said mouse infestations can pose serious health risks, including hantavirus, meningitis and respiratory problems.
“These things can become airborne, can really affect the lung status of kids with asthma, and their allergies can just be really exacerbated,” Achrekar said.
An email shared by a staff member said the carpets were cleaned by an APS contractor, but the staff member said that only made the urine smell worse.
ATF President Sarah Hager confirmed that a grievance was submitted to APS on September 16, eight days before the first work order was filed. Communications between staff and union representatives claim the grievance was not initially addressed and was later escalated to Level 3, the highest level, which can involve lawyers and a special committee.
Hager said APS has since “started the ball rolling” and hopes to defuse the grievance at a lower level. APS said conditions have “significantly improved” since technicians began working on site.
Schuh stressed the importance of providing a safe and clean environment for students and staff.
“There are things that people, APS, can do to address this. And in an institution where we have so many students, so many staff members who are at risk,” Schuh said.
APS added in a statement that it “will continue to monitor the situation and deploy all necessary resources to support a safe and healthy learning environment.”
ATF expressed confidence in its ability to work with APS to resolve the grievance.
Gn Health
