NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — City Councilman Rory Diamond made a twitter post Thursday afternoon saying,
“Hey, @DuvalSchools, Rat infestation continues at Neptune Beach Elementary. Parents keep complaining and rats keep running around. What are you doing with the billions we sent you to fix this?”
On the post, you can see a picture of a hole in the ceiling of the room.
“This has been a problem at Neptune Beach Elementary for at least 10 years. my nephew and niece both go there and we know all about the rats," said Diamond.
Diamond received multiple comments under the post.
One person commented and said they taught in that classroom from 2009 until 2013 and the hole was there then. The commenter also said Squirrels used to come in, eat their supplies, and leave droppings.
Another person commented and said their wife spent many years at NBE. They said that hole existed 10 years ago.
“Well it drives me crazy is that we got billions and billions of dollars of taxes going to the school district and they said they’ll fix problems like this but that money never seems to come to the beaches school. We need help out here too," said Diamond.
Duval County Public Schools sent first coast news a statement saying school reports of rodents are the highest priority of our pest control efforts.
Response typically includes:
- Identifying and eliminating sources of food
- Closing windows and doorways to reduce access
- Sealing holes or any potential access in roofs and walls
- Deploying traps without compromising student safety
DCPS also said in their statement, “Our team was aware of the issue at this school and is responding. In addition to the rapid response team for these types of issues, each school receives monthly pest control services.”