Elementary school cuts lessons due to rat infestation
In Herrenberg, Baden-Württemberg, only half of the lessons take place at an elementary school. The reason: there are rats on the first floor of the building. The infestation poses a challenge for teachers, pupils and parents alike.
An elementary school in Herrenberg, Baden-Württemberg, has to go into shift operation due to a rat infestation. The Pfalzgraf-Rudolph-Schule closed nine classrooms on Monday, as reported by SWR. According to the school, classes can only be held on the upper floor as the rodents are on the first floor. In addition, the animals are apparently persistent: normal school operations are not possible until the Christmas vacations, principal Frauke Michel told the broadcaster.
Lessons can only take place to a very limited extent due to the lack of space. While the first and second classes are taught in the first three school hours, the third and fourth classes come to school in the following three hours, according to the report. The school is thus concentrating on the core subjects of math and German.
As not all parents can cope with the shortened lessons, the school is offering emergency childcare. This is also the reason why parallel online lessons cannot take place, Michel explained to SWR. The school also has to provide emergency care with its staff. Some parents are worried that the children will have to catch up on the missed lessons next year, as reported by theBild newspaper.
According to the newspaper, the health department is also alarmed. Cleaning and hygiene measures have been coordinated with the city. The city administration stated that other municipalities also have problems with rats. However, the focus is now on eliminating the rats in the affected school in Herrenberg. Pest controllers have already laid out bait traps there. Nevertheless, it could take three to five weeks to get rid of all the animals, Michel explained to SWR. "The rats are skeptical at first, and it takes time before they really dare to approach the bait boxes."
It is still unclear exactly how the infestation came about. "It's probably also a common problem at schools. Doors are always open; now it's getting cold, the rats come in," Michel speculated to the broadcaster. It is therefore possible that they were attracted by leftover snacks and happened to find an open door.
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Source: www.ntv.de
