NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Parents of students at Sherwood Forest Elementary School in Norfolk protested Friday over concerns of rodents and mold inside of the school.
School officials acknowledged there was a “low to moderate infestation of rodents” in Sherwood Forest Elementary School starting in September.
Letter to Sherwood Forest parents/guardians
Parents say the administration has been downplaying the issue and they want people to know just how bad it is inside. That is why they gathered outside of the school Friday afternoon, chanting things like “close and clean.”
One parent, who created a petition to “close and clean,” says what’s being done isn’t enough.
Brittany Diaz said, “The administrators continue to try to talk to us and say ‘oh its fine, don’t worry about it, we’re doing what we can.’ But when we asked questions they had no answer, I don’t know. Their answers were ‘we missed the mark’. These are our children, their education and their safety. You can’t miss the mark.”
A few weeks ago, some parents were notified via phone that there was a pest problem at the school. Other parents told 10 on Your Side they were not notified.
Parents have shared pictures of rodent traps and mold inside of the building. They had those pictures on signs outside of the school at the protest.
“I went through the school yesterday and did my own walk-through, took more pictures,” said Whitney Stewart. “I don’t see any work being done to anything so it’s kind of frustrating. I’m still upset and disappointed.”
The school did send a letter home Friday, saying the school division’s environmental testing contractor did an air quality sampling of every classroom and common space. They say the mold levels are in the “low” range. The letter also says pest management contractors are still working on a full interior inspection of the school. That includes space above the ceiling. They hope to have that completed by mid-November.