BOISE, Idaho — A Boise parent is speaking out in support of a teacher who is suing the Boise School District over mice in her classroom, saying her own children may have been put at risk as well.
Christy Lopez, who has had five children attend Boise schools, including a daughter currently enrolled at West Junior High, said she was alarmed to learn about the conditions inside Room 113, where several of her children had previously taken family and consumer sciences classes.
“Absolutely disgusted,” Lopez said. “It makes me sad because it's children that we're dealing with. Kids that aren't, you know, maybe even capable of standing up for themselves and coming forward and saying, ‘This is gross.’”
That classroom, Room 113, is the same one where Michelle Chung says she encountered years of rodent contamination, including urine, droppings, and dead mice — and is now suing the district over the health risk to her and her students. According to both Chung and Lopez, the district has not taken sufficient action to fully eliminate the problem.
RELATED: Boise teacher alleges years of rodent contamination
This past April, a state-licensed inspector entered the classroom in full protective gear and used ultraviolet light to detect urine and droppings on aprons, oven knobs, food containers, even keyboards.
“I was very concerned,” Lopez said. “So I sent emails to the principal and the vice principal asking what exactly was done to fix the problem before the kids went into the lab.”
Lopez said she was told that inspections had been completed and that third-party pest control services had cleared the room for use. But when she requested official inspection reports, she said there were none provided.
“I was told that they just—they respectfully declined to debate the situation with me any longer,” she said.
Lopez said she believes the biggest issue is not just the presence of mice, but the way the district responded.
“It's the fact that, yeah, there's not been a plan to clean it all out correctly and have records to show that it's been correctly sanitized and safe for people to be in that environment,” she said.
After reviewing the results of the April inspection, Lopez said it confirmed her worst fears.
“I would hope that they would shut the building down and clean out the walls and the AC systems,” Lopez said. “I would hope that they would take a look at their cafeteria and the rest of their classrooms and do a full building inspection…because mice don't stay in one room.”
Lopez said she is frustrated with the district’s response and wants answers. The Boise School District said it has no additional comment at this time.
