Rodents prompt inspection at Saint John elementary school

Rats were found at an elementary school in Saint John, N.B.

First it was bats terrorizing a New Brunswick school, and now wingless pests are causing issues in another part of the province.

On March 14, WorkSafeNB conducted an inspection at Prince Charles School in Saint John following reports of rats and mice in the building.

“We have not issued any orders and are monitoring the situation to ensure appropriate corrective measures continue to be implemented,” says Lynn Meahan-Carson, WorkSafeNB corporate communications manager, in an email. “The school is willingly working to rectify the issue.”

Anglophone South School District communications director Jessica Hanlon says there is no risk to students or staff, and learning is continuing as normal.

She says the school took immediate steps to address the issue after discovering the problem. Neither the district nor WorkSafeNB mentioned how many rats and mice Prince Charles School is dealing with.

“We understand no one likes the thought of rodents in a school facility, and we take this very seriously,” Hanlon said in an email. “Older buildings, in particular, can experience these kinds of issues, especially during seasonal changes.”

Hanlon says the school has protocols in place to deal with these types of situations. That includes extra staff for additional cleaning, as well as the identification and sealing of any potential entry points for pests.

The additional cleaning staff will remain on site until the problem is eradicated. All school facilities work with professional control services on an ongoing basis.

“We take cleanliness and safety seriously and have followed all recommended protocols to resolve the issue thoroughly,” Hanlon says. “WorkSafe was onsite Friday along with our Health and Safety team to inspect. Public Safety was in [Wednesday] as well and were satisfied with our mitigation.”

In a statement, New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation co-president Peter Lagacy has “emphasized to district officials the importance of ensuring the health and safety of teachers, students, and staff in the learning environment.”

“We have communicated the need for timely and appropriate measures to address and resolve the issue,” he says.

New Brunswick Health confirmed they are also conducting an investigation after they received a complaint about rodents in the school on Monday.

Prince Charles School first opened its doors in 1953 and is nearing the end of its life cycle. The school will be shut down following the construction of a new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school set to open in the south-end peninsula for the 2027-28 school year.

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