10 Ottawa schools with cockroaches from Carlington to Manor Park, OCDSB confirms

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has released a list of 10 schools with reports of cockroaches, amending an earlier statement that it was working to eradicate the pests from 15 schools.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Catholic School Board confirmed there are reports of cockroaches at four of its schools but refused to reveal which ones.

The public schools with cockroaches are:

• Connaught Public School.
• Devonshire Community Public School.
• Hilson Avenue Public School.
• Elgin Street Public School.
• Manor Park Public School.
• W.E. Gowling Public School.
• Queen Mary Street Public School.
• Riverview Alternative Public School.
• Ottawa Technical Secondary School.
• Rideau High School.

Last week, the OCDSB said there were cockroaches at three high schools and 12 elementary schools.

OCDSB spokeswoman Sharlene Hunter told CBC News in an email that "after conversations with the schools we have found that there are schools that we thought had issues that did not."

Parents of students at Manor Park were the first to be notified about cockroaches last week as it made plans to spray the school over the Thanksgiving weekend. The school was previously dusted with mild pesticides for two weeks but the OCDSB said it does not usually inform parents of dusting because the pesticide is not airborne and poses no health risks.

Hunter said glue boards, as well as insect control dust and gels, are being used to kill cockroaches in the other schools — in parts that students do not usually use, including behind stoves and refrigerators, and in drains and cracks.

Last year, Charles H. Hulse Public School children became sick after an outdoor pesticide was sprayed inside the school to rid it of cockroaches. The school was forced to close to be ventilated. The school is not among the 10 with cockroaches this year, according to the OCDSB list.

Some parents not notified

Molly Stopford, whose son is in Grade 2 at W.E. Gowling Public School, said Wednesday afternoon that she had not been notified by the school about cockroaches.

"They should be contacting the parents to let them know," she said, adding she would specifically like to know how many cockroaches were spotted in a school she described as very clean.

Stopford said a warning could help her guard against cockroaches in her own home by checking her son's backpack before bringing it inside.

"Obviously, I'm not interested in having a cockroach infestation at my house," she said. 

Parents of students at the newly renovated Devonshire Community Public School also described the building as clean. Principal Julie Derbyshire said she notified parents after a night janitor reported finding a single dead cockroach.

Derbyshire said roach-killing gel was applied in the spot where the janitor made his find, and that no other cockroaches have been seen since.

Hilson Avenue Public School also notified parents this week after a cockroach was seen in the office but said no other cockroaches have been seen.

Hunter said that "cockroaches are not a sign of poor housekeeping" but noted they can be difficult to control due to their long life cycles.

"Our custodial staff take great pride in ensuring that students and staff have a clean and safe learning and working environment and they will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to administration," she said.

Catholic board refuses to name schools

The Ottawa Catholic School Board spokeswoman Mardi de Kemp refused to name the four schools with cockroaches, or whether the schools were attended by high school or elementary students.

​"Our response includes working with a professional pest control company and encouraging a vigilant community response to prevent recurrence," de Kemp told CBC News in an email.

Both French school boards that operated in Ottawa — Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario and Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est — said there are no cockroaches in their schools.