Charlotte Public Schools swiftly responded to reports of bed bugs on students at the high school and upper elementary last week, treating affected areas immediately and bringing in a K-9 detection unit for thorough sweeps, Superintendent Dr. Mandy Stewart said.
The district first learned of the issue late last week, Stewart told WKAR News. Affected students were removed, siblings checked across buildings, and rooms treated that evening. Buses were also preemptively treated as a precaution.
"It was at the high school," Stewart confirmed of the initial reports. "Typically, if a student comes in with bed bugs, people report it and see it. And that's what happened in this situation."
A sibling case surfaced at Charlotte Upper Elementary, prompting similar responses: affected students sent home, parents notified with support materials, and classrooms treated.
To go further, the district contracted an extermination company that deployed a K-9 unit to sweep the high school and Charlotte Performing Arts Center (CPAC).
Experts and the local health department advised against extreme measures like shutting down the entire district.
"They did not advise taking those extreme measures. And we also spoke with the health department as well," Stewart said.
No new cases have emerged since the initial reports. The K-9 sweeps found no additional evidence, providing reassurance.
"We've had no new cases. We're still being very thorough in making sure our custodians are aware that we're cleaning daily, just in case, but really, the K-9 unit doing the sweep and not finding any is probably the best information we can have," Stewart said.
Attendance dipped earlier in the week, which Stewart attributed partly to misinformation and fear amplified on social media.
"We did have lower numbers of attendance, and I do think that's in response to the outpouring on social media, because some of those negative attentions that may be completely untrue seem to be taken as fact," she said.
Parents retain the choice to keep children home, with no repercussions noted, though the goal remains safe in-person education for all.
All events proceeded as planned, including a band concert cleared after sweeps. This weekend several schools will take part in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District Festival.
"Everything is straight ahead as planned. We have no new cases. These were students, not spaces, and once we had the full canine sweep, that was just extra reassurance that we could give our families to know that it's safe to come to our school," Stewart said.
The superintendent urged families to rely on official district information rather than social media rumors.
"Not everything on Facebook is true, and that can lead to a lot of misinformation, and it scares a lot of families, and that's not anything that we're trying to do," she said.
WKAR reached out to some of those commenting about the situation on social media, but nobody would talk.
Stewart provided prevention guidance to families, including what to look for and resources like Michigan's "Getting the Bed Bugs Out" guide.
She noted bed bugs are common in Michigan's major cities and not unique to Charlotte, questioning why this case drew outsized attention.
"When you look at like the statewide reporting, there's five major cities with bed bug outbreaks, so I have to imagine, some of those are in school," she said.
Attendance has since rebounded, and the district hopes for a smooth return to normal next week.
