What are local schools doing to keep parents informed about wasps?
As the hot weather stays, so do the wasps. You can spot the bugs nearly everywhere around eastern Idaho. One family reached out to Local News 8 and KIDK Eyewitness News 3 about the problems they’ve faced with the pest at school.
“Kids on the playground are being stung, including my grandson,” said Cathy Koon, a concerned grandparent. “My concern was that the parents don’t know.”
Henrys Fork Elementary’s maintenance team combats the problem early, every morning.
“Check around the perimeter, check the playground equipment, check the eaves of the roof to identify if there’s any nest and they spray for them,” says DelRay Davenport, the principal at Henry’s Fork Elementary.
However to Koon and her family, that still is not enough.
Koon agrees that the school does a good job of trying to eliminate the problem and children being stung is almost unavoidable, but the lack of communication is a problem.
She says that two of her grandchildren were stung multiple times this week. Neither of their parents were informed.
“I have a grandson who could die from that. He doesn’t live here. He has to have an EpiPen,” Koon said. “I am just concerned that parents need to know so that they can take precautions, make sure they tell the school, ‘hey my kids allergic. If anything happens I need to be notified.”
Davenport says that after he heard Koon’s concerns earlier Thursday, he plans on sending a letter out to all parents.
“This letter will go home with the students just reminding the parents that if they are concerned about their children having an allergic reaction to let us know and if they need to have us keep them in we need to know that as well,” said Davenport.
Davenport mentions that out of the 560 students at the school, less than 10 have been stung , but the school will still remain diligent taking care of the wasp situation.
He also made note that the wasp problem is something they deal with every year, but this year does seem like an increase.
