Bed bug infestation leaves students without Chromebooks

_{Infested Chromebooks being kept in the Media Center. Photo by Tobias Rangel}

By Lana McIlvaine, Tobias Rangel and Nellie Purdy

As Riverside students returned to school, they found some unexpected guests in their Chromebooks.

On Wednesday, September 4, students picked up their school-issued laptops in the media center. Around 4pm, an announcement broadcasted over the intercom asked all students to return them at the end of the school day, as they exited the building. 

Students didn’t know why, but later learned it was due to a bedbug infestation.

“We found [bed bugs on August 21] when we were going to count to see how many Chromebooks we didn’t have,” said Riverside librarian Jenna Wine. “That’s when we noticed they were crawling around. We immediately freaked out.”

Riverside’s information technology professional, Anthony Merritt, the only staff member bitten, discovered the bed bugs.

Two days later, all Chromebooks were placed in the softball shed and fumigated to exterminate the bugs. 

Before the discovery, nearly 300 Riverside freshmen received chromebooks during freshman orientation on August 16. Riverside administration asked students to return them to the media center and fumigated them with the rest.

After the initial discovery, various news sources, including WRAL and the New York Post, published stories of the “back-to-school horrors” Riverside was facing. 

“The creepy-crawlies infested the media center at Riverside High School, where the Google Chromebooks had been stored over the summer,” wrote New York Post reporter Steve Janoski on Sept. 3.

Principal Gloria Woods-Weeks notified parents in a voice message and email on August 30.

“We are taking every precaution to address the situation and prevent further occurrences,” she said. “The health and safety of our students and families is our top priority.”

Woods-Weeks provided additional information in another message on Sept. 2. 

“To follow up on the previous message regarding the discovery of bed bugs in a few Chromebooks, we understand that this has raised concerns, and I want to assure you that we are taking all necessary steps to address the situation,” said Woods-Weeks.

On September 4, during the school-wide Chromebook distribution, roughly 75% of the laptops were distributed to students. 

At first, students were concerned by the bed bugs falling out of the treated Chromebooks. 

Wine says that the library was not surprised. 

”They died in this process,” she said. “They’re gonna come out…because they’re dead.”

But some survived the fumigation.

“We did receive three that we weren’t so sure if they were fully dead,” said Wine. “We took one outside. The bed bugs were very slow moving. It seems like the treatment was working, but they weren’t fully dead, and that is why we were really concerned.”

On Thursday, September 5, DPS officials visited Riverside and recommended all Chromebooks be removed from campus. According to Dr. Tara Gold, it would be a rough estimate of $500,000 to replace 1,900 laptops due to the district’s one-to-one student-device ratio policy.  

Woods-Weeks shared an update with parents via voicemail and email that evening. 

“We have ceased the distribution of Chromebooks,” said Woods-Weeks in another voice message and email. “The Media Center will undergo another fumigation process by a professional exterminator and will be inaccessible by students and staff until further notice… Additional cleaning and sanitation will be conducted following fumigation.”

She followed up with another update on September 8.

“We will provide alternatives for students to access school work until the Chromebooks are fully inspected, treated, and returned,” she said. “We are collaborating with pest control experts to ensure this problem is resolved.”