A school employee in Washington, D.C., says a rat ran under her office door just days after she started work at Columbia Heights Educational Campus, and the experience was so disturbing that she does not plan to return to the building this fall.
Her account is raising concerns about unresolved rodent problems, sanitation, and building conditions at the Northwest D.C. campus.
What happened?
Kiesha Lewis said she eventually started working from the front of the cafeteria because it was the only area on campus where she did not encounter animals or droppings.
Lewis, a middle school community development coordinator at Columbia Heights Educational Campus in Northwest D.C., told WTOP that a rat ran under her office door and into a wall during her first week at the school.
She said coworkers told her the rodent issue had been going on for years.
In a late April email to the city's Department of General Services, Lewis wrote that "more than seven rodents have been captured in my work area alone."
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
She also said that sticky traps were being used over holes in the walls of an adult bathroom.
A mid-May D.C. Health food establishment inspection that found rodent droppings and dead insects in glue traps in the school cafeteria.
The campus is home to Lincoln Multicultural Middle School and Bell Multicultural High School.
Lewis said the conditions have affected both her ability to work and her sense of safety.
"I have no interest of going back in the building because I do have a phobia of them," she told WTOP.
Why does it matter?
Rodents can contaminate food areas, leave behind droppings and urine, and create stress for staff and students expected to work and learn in the building each day.
As Lewis explained, "Rodents do carry diseases, and even if you don't come in contact with the rodent, if you come in contact with their droppings or their urine, it has the potential to have people get sick."
Lewis said that the school does not prevent students from eating in other parts of campus, adding, "That doesn't help their efforts to try to mitigate rodents."
Food scraps, clutter, gaps in walls, and aging infrastructure can all create inviting conditions for pests.
Lewis said that for students, "it's almost an expectation" that rodents or droppings will be present.
What's being done?
D.C. Public Schools told WTOP that campuses routinely receive preventive pest control services and that the district works with the Department of General Services to "address any concerns between scheduled visits."
The Department of General Services told WTOP that the school has been receiving service visits every two weeks, along with trapping efforts and bait station installations.
The agency also said it identified gaps in cabinetry that may be allowing rodent movement and plans to begin exclusion work in July to seal those entry points.
DGS told WTOP that it found opportunities to improve housekeeping and pest prevention, encouraging staff to sanitize workstations daily, store food properly, and reduce clutter — especially in areas where food is prepared and stored.
Lewis said the building needs remediation "not only to kill the rodents that are there, that are living in that walls and the ceiling, but also to find the points of entry."
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
