Mice in the classrooms: Saanich’s SD63 battling rodent problem

The Saanich School Board says it has a rodent problem on its hands—particularly at Brentwood Elementary and North Saanich Middle School—but it says it has things under control.

“We have noticed an increase in rodent population across the district,” Rob Lumb, SD63’s director of facilities, tells Capital Daily.

“There have been a couple of schools—North Saanich being one and Brentwood being another—that have been on our radar.”

Parents and teachers have posted social media messages with concern over the situation, which has left teachers and school staff to remove rodent droppings.

“I have had to clean up messes, even though WorkSafe says we shouldn't,” said one poster who identified themself as a teacher.

“This is creating unsafe working environments for [teachers] and our children,” said another poster.

Lumb said control measures being taken include expanded cleaning, staff education on food storage, filling holes where mice might enter, and active pest control.

“The number of traps full has been coming down, so that leads me to believe that the population of rodents is going down with it,” he said.

The province banned the use of certain rodenticides in 2023, due to their negative impact on birds and fowl. That’s led to the use of traps, cleanliness, and patching up holes as a three-pronged defense against rodents.

“Basically, our most effective tool was taken away with that ban,” Lumb said.

In a letter to parents, Vijay Pereira, principal at Brentwood Elementary, said the school is “aware of rodent activity,” is conducting regular walkthroughs, and is treating the situation as a priority.

“We are also deploying pest control services on a regular basis, and because of these actions, we have started to see a decrease in activity.”

Pereira said the school has determined that there are common contributing factors related to access, food storage, and general housekeeping that need to be consistently managed.

“We are working closely with school staff to ensure that all food sources are either removed or properly sealed in appropriate containers,” he said.

Concerned parents took to social media to vent and express their unease.

“I feel so bad for the staff and janitorial workers who have to do so much extra right now,” said a poster to a Brentwood Bay Facebook page.

“It is out of control,” said another. “I have talked to a few staff members who are very upset about the condition of their classrooms and having to throw classroom supplies out because of droppings.”

The Saanich Teachers’ Association (STA) said it was aware of the situation.

“The Saanich Teachers' Association and the Saanich School District continue to work collaboratively on this challenging issue,” said Shannon Toronitz, the STA president.