In an email to Malibu High School caregivers and staff, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati addressed the ongoing rat issue on MHS campus. The email listed an ongoing number of steps that the high school has and will take to solve the issue, while avoiding the use of chemicals. These steps include trimming trees to minimize access in the buildings, working with staff to ensure that food is not left out and that trash cans remain closed, asking everyone on campus to keep doors closed to campus buildings, installing snap traps throughout the campus, sending Best Management Practices cleaning teams to clean affected areas, and have the director of maintenance and operations, manager of operations and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tech walk around the campus with the principal, Dr. Michelle Nye, to address the issues.Â
The SMMUSD Board of Education has a pest control policy in place for such situations. The IPM procedures help create a long-term strategy to suppress the pest problems.Â
The email advises parents to remind their students to wash their hands frequently to protect themselves from germs and illnesses.
A meeting will be held on Oct. 25 for caregivers and staff at the MHS auditorium at 6 p.m. to provide more information on the pest control and construction process.Â