Infestation by rats forces Kirby High to close for now

The pest infestation at Kirby High School could shut down the school for the rest of the semester, Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson said Thursday, calling the situation an “unavoidable act of nature.”

The school will undergo a six-toeight-week period of trapping and exterminating the rats that have displaced students and staff from the building for much of the past two weeks.

Hopson said his team is searching for a temporary home for Kirby’s 800 students, exploring options like nowclosed South Side High and the Hickory Ridge Mall. He said he hopes to have a

recommendation to review with the board early next week.

The eight-week timeline would put students back in the building in early November. Hopson said he won’t send students back into Kirby until he’s sure the problem is remedied, and wants a smooth transition. That, along with any unforeseen issues, could push back the timeline to the end of the fall semester.

“I don’t want to bring kids back and it’s not right,” Hopson said.

The issue started two weeks ago, he said, after a rat’s nest near a greenhouse on the property was disturbed as part of a renovation process to improve the school’s career and technical education program.

That weekend district personnel set up traps and caught as many as 80 rats, Hopson said.

After a few days of no sightings and clearance from health officials, Hopson said, the school was reopened after Labor Day.

A stench soon returned, however, as rats that had been earlier poisoned were starting to die within the walls. The district announced Wednesday night the school would be closed the rest of this week.

“We sincerely apologize to our students, families and staff for having to deal with this situation,” the district said in a statement Wednesday night. Hopson reiterated that apology in a news conference Thursday.

Board member Kevin Woods said health department officials did not force the district to close the school again Wednesday, and that it was done out of an “abundance of caution” for the health of students and staff.

The district planned to hold a community meeting at Hickory Ridge Middle School on Thursday night.

The district has spent about $70,000 remedying the problem to this point, Hopson said, and will likely require tens of thousands more for the six or eight weeks of trapping and building work, like replacing of ceiling tiles.

Hopson said next to safety, loss of academic time was his biggest concern. Kirby has struggled academically and is in danger of facing state interventions if it does not improve. A solution used in some natural disaster situations, to send students to evening classes or half-day classes at another school, is not ideal for students who need the most instruction time.

“What we know is those kids need a full day of instruction,” Hopson said.

Woods said there will be time in the future to evaluate the district’s pest control plan for all its schools. There will also be conversations about missed school, he said, and what needs to be done so students aren’t behind.

“Right now we’re focused on getting kids in a safe learning environment,” he said.