Hot Meals To Return To Little Village School Despite Infestation Of Mice, Roaches
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A hot lunch program should resume Friday at an elementary school in Little Village, despite a rodent and roach infestation in the kitchen and lunchroom.
For nearly two months, students at Maria Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd., have been eating cold lunches in their classrooms, after mice and roaches were discovered throughout the school's kitchen facilities.
The school was fumigated over spring break, but the mice and roaches came back, so a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman said the district will begin trucking in hot breakfasts and lunches from a private contractor, which provides meals for more than 100 schools that do not have full kitchens.
Simon Perez was dropping off his 7-year-old nephew at Saucedo on Thursday.
"It is kind of creepy, yeah," he said. "Hopefully, though, we'll figure out something soon. … We had the meeting with the principal yesterday, and they're bringing hot lunches in now, so at least that's one step ahead."
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One teacher who asked to remain anonymous said she hasn't seen any mice or roaches, but added "I don't look for them."
The teacher said she believes there's been a sanitation problem ever since CPS privatized janitorial services.
"They took away the mops, and they were cleaning with Swiffers, and that wasn't getting it cleaned the way it needed to be cleaned. And it's an old building, too," she said.
School officials hope a major renovation at Saucedo, planned for this summer, will solve the problem for good. Cost estimates for construction and repairs at Saucedo were not available, but CPS said the lunchroom would be ready for use next school year.
