CORRECTION APPENDED

Having invaded New York City's bedrooms, retail stores, movie theaters and offices, bedbugs are now showing up with growing frequency in another place: public schools.

There were 1,019 confirmed cases of bedbugs in the 2009-10 school year -- an 88 percent increase from the previous school year, according to Education Department records.

So far this month, the city's 311 help line has received 22 calls about bedbugs in schools, its records show. It is unclear whether additional cases were reported by other means.

School officials declined to provide the full number of confirmed cases since classes started on Sept. 8. But the Education Department spokeswoman, Marge Feinberg, said there had been no instances of city schools being closed because of bedbugs.

''Each confirmed case is dealt with expeditiously,'' she said.

At the Brooklyn Transition Center, a public high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant where middle-school students from the Beginning with Children Charter School also study, a Police Department school security officer and three teachers said Friday that there had been multiple instances of bedbugs since the beginning of the school year.

''We really need somebody to come clean it up,'' said a teacher who was in front the school building, on Ellery Street, about 2 p.m.

''It was a problem last spring and we thought it would be gone this year, but it's still a problem,'' said the teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and was eventually asked by a security guard to end the interview.

Ms. Feinberg said the school's principal, Valerie Miller, told her that bedbugs had been found in the school twice this month, and that the two classrooms involved had been treated. Ms. Feinberg said that Ms. Miller told her, ''There were no instances where it was widespread.''

Ms. Miller also told her that parents of children in the affected classrooms were notified, Ms. Feinberg said.

Bedbugs feed on humans, but do not transmit disease. Still, now that they are showing up in the schools, they are joining lice as a scourge of families that include young students. While schools are not considered ideal feeding spots for the nocturnal parasites, classrooms could be serving as a transportation hub to and from homes, further fanning a citywide resurgence of the pests, experts say. And it could get worse in the months ahead.

''What we've found is that they crop up during winter time, on heavy clothing, like jackets,'' Ms. Feinberg said.

Mike Orlino of Superior Pest Elimination, a company based on Staten Island that has contracted with the Education Department since 2004, said the company had seen a huge increase in cases. It treated 29 schools for bedbugs last year, he said.

Schools in Brooklyn and Queens, the city's most populous boroughs, had the most confirmed cases last year, Ms. Feinberg said. Brooklyn reported 439 cases, and Queens reported 327.

Ms. Feinberg would not say how many schools were affected and declined to name schools other than Brooklyn Transition where bedbugs were discovered.

City officials have started to track the problem more closely, said Nick Sbordone, a spokesman for the city's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Since the city started counting 311 calls related to bedbugs, in March, operators have received 121 calls about bedbugs in schools, including the calls since the current school year started, he said.

This month the city updated its nine-page ''Bedbug Kit,'' which outlines ways to detect and deal with the insects, Ms. Feinberg said. The manual includes a letter school administrators can use to notify parents whenever bedbugs are found in a school.

Gov. David A. Paterson signed a law last month that requires schools in large districts to notify parents of any infestation. The law does not take effect until July.

Ms. Feinberg said, ''We go above and beyond the legal requirement.''

She added that ''currently just the parents of students who are affected'' must be notified.

The union representing teachers acknowledged the difficult circumstances schools face, but called on officials to research safer, more effective methods of eradicating the bugs.

''Our school communities need to be able to count on more support from governmental agencies as well as legislation to address this increasing problem,'' said Richard Riley, a United Federation of Teachers spokesman.

PHOTO: The Brooklyn Transition Center, a public high school, is one of the schools where bedbugs have turned up, staff members said. (PHOTOGRAPH BY ULI SEIT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)

View the original article here

CORRECTION APPENDED

Having invaded New York City's bedrooms, retail stores, movie theaters and offices, bedbugs are now showing up with growing frequency in another place: public schools.

There were 1,019 confirmed cases of bedbugs in the 2009-10 school year -- an 88 percent increase from the previous school year, according to Education Department records.

So far this month, the city's 311 help line has received 22 calls about bedbugs in schools, its records show. It is unclear whether additional cases were reported by other means.

School officials declined to provide the full number of confirmed cases since classes started on Sept. 8. But the Education Department spokeswoman, Marge Feinberg, said there had been no instances of city schools being closed because of bedbugs.

''Each confirmed case is dealt with expeditiously,'' she said.

At the Brooklyn Transition Center, a public high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant where middle-school students from the Beginning with Children Charter School also study, a Police Department school security officer and three teachers said Friday that there had been multiple instances of bedbugs since the beginning of the school year.

''We really need somebody to come clean it up,'' said a teacher who was in front the school building, on Ellery Street, about 2 p.m.

''It was a problem last spring and we thought it would be gone this year, but it's still a problem,'' said the teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and was eventually asked by a security guard to end the interview.

Ms. Feinberg said the school's principal, Valerie Miller, told her that bedbugs had been found in the school twice this month, and that the two classrooms involved had been treated. Ms. Feinberg said that Ms. Miller told her, ''There were no instances where it was widespread.''

Ms. Miller also told her that parents of children in the affected classrooms were notified, Ms. Feinberg said.

Bedbugs feed on humans, but do not transmit disease. Still, now that they are showing up in the schools, they are joining lice as a scourge of families that include young students. While schools are not considered ideal feeding spots for the nocturnal parasites, classrooms could be serving as a transportation hub to and from homes, further fanning a citywide resurgence of the pests, experts say. And it could get worse in the months ahead.

''What we've found is that they crop up during winter time, on heavy clothing, like jackets,'' Ms. Feinberg said.

Mike Orlino of Superior Pest Elimination, a company based on Staten Island that has contracted with the Education Department since 2004, said the company had seen a huge increase in cases. It treated 29 schools for bedbugs last year, he said.

Schools in Brooklyn and Queens, the city's most populous boroughs, had the most confirmed cases last year, Ms. Feinberg said. Brooklyn reported 439 cases, and Queens reported 327.

Ms. Feinberg would not say how many schools were affected and declined to name schools other than Brooklyn Transition where bedbugs were discovered.

City officials have started to track the problem more closely, said Nick Sbordone, a spokesman for the city's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Since the city started counting 311 calls related to bedbugs, in March, operators have received 121 calls about bedbugs in schools, including the calls since the current school year started, he said.

This month the city updated its nine-page ''Bedbug Kit,'' which outlines ways to detect and deal with the insects, Ms. Feinberg said. The manual includes a letter school administrators can use to notify parents whenever bedbugs are found in a school.

Gov. David A. Paterson signed a law last month that requires schools in large districts to notify parents of any infestation. The law does not take effect until July.

Ms. Feinberg said, ''We go above and beyond the legal requirement.''

She added that ''currently just the parents of students who are affected'' must be notified.

The union representing teachers acknowledged the difficult circumstances schools face, but called on officials to research safer, more effective methods of eradicating the bugs.

''Our school communities need to be able to count on more support from governmental agencies as well as legislation to address this increasing problem,'' said Richard Riley, a United Federation of Teachers spokesman.

PHOTO: The Brooklyn Transition Center, a public high school, is one of the schools where bedbugs have turned up, staff members said. (PHOTOGRAPH BY ULI SEIT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)

View the original article here