Amelia County Public Schools

Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t let the Bed Bugs Bite!

 Bed Bugs Video 1 Bed Bugs Video 1

Bed bugs have recently emerged as a public health concern all over the nation, including Amelia. It is important to know the facts about bed bugs and the best way to prevent and treat an infestation. Teachers and staff need to know Amelia County Public Schools procedure for collecting and identifying a potential bed bug. Teachers and staff need to know how to handle a student who may have a bed bug infestation at home.

 Bed bugs are small, wingless insects that feed on the blood of people while they sleep.  Bed bugs live where people live because they feed on sleeping humans.  Bed bugs are primarily nocturnal and feed exclusively on blood and are believed to be inactive between blood meals.  The most common way for a bed bug to enter school is through “hitchhiking” from an infested site.

 Bed bugs have spread throughout the country and are present in communities regardless of housing, income level, or ethnicity of the population.  Bed bugs are good hitchhikers and have been found in many public places including hotels, movie theaters, airplanes, public transportation, retail stores, and college dorms.  Increasing travel, international trade, and pesticide resistance have allowed bed bug populations to re-emerge in recent years  Schools are not ideal places for bed bugs as they prefer to hide during the day and there are few people in the school at night when they feed.

 Do not fly, jump or burrow under skin  Do not live on people  Do not transmit disease  Do not like the cold

 Adult bed bugs can live over a year without a meal  Bed bugs seek shelter in cracks and crevices  Bed bugs love clutter  Bed bugs crawl as fast as an ant  Bed bug excrement looks like red or brown dots

 Look like: ▪ No reaction ▪ Itchy welts like flea or mosquito bites ▪ Single, clumps or linear ▪ Cellulitis *can occur within hours or up to 2 weeks later

Amelia County Public School Bed Bug Protocol

Procedure AMELIA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PEST MANAGEMENT SERVICES Bed Bug Specimen Data Submission Form On(date) a presumed bed bug was found (Choose one) On a student On a student’s belongings On a staff member On a staff member’s belongings On furniture/wall within a room On the floor in the room Other: School Name Room Number School Phone Number School Address School Principal Name School Principal Phone Number Accompanying this letter is a suspected bed bug. Please confirm the identity of this specimen. Comments: This form is to be completed and submitted with the specimen to: Amelia County Virginia Cooperative Extension Dunn Street, Ste 202 P.O. Box 229 Amelia, VA  If a suspected bed bug is found in a school, efforts should be made to collect a specimen. The specimen should then be placed in a sandwich size plastic bag or small container and sealed. Try not to crush the bug and please to not staple the bag.  School principal, or designee, should complete the “Specimen Data Submission Form” and a designated school staff member should take the specimen and form to : Amelia County Virginia Cooperative Extension Dunn Street, Ste 202 Amelia, VA (Hours of operation 8:00 am – 4:30 pm M-F) * Please note that pictures cannot be used to identify a suspected bed bug. Only actual bug specimens can be analyzed.

Procedure  If suspected bed bug bites are found on a student, he or she should not be sent home, but the parents notified.  The student should be temporarily removed from the classroom so the school nurse or qualified individual can perform an inspection of the student’s clothing and other belongings.  Without drawing significant attention to the student, check the areas where the student sits or where affected belongings may be placed for extended periods of time.  If the student has siblings in the same or other building they will also need to be examined.  If student rides the bus, the principal will coordinate with ACPS Director of Operations to have the student’s bus inspected.  If a specimen is identified – keep as intact as possible.

Procedure  If a student is believed or confirmed to have brought a positively identified bed bug to school or if bed bug bites are suspected, the student’s parent or guardian will be notified.  The student and personal belongings will be inspected by clinic staff each morning until receipt of confirmed treatment of home.  Until confirmed treatment of home is received, the student’s parents will transport student to school. If there are no bugs identified on student or belongings – the student will be permitted to ride the school bus home.  The student will be assigned their own plastic storage bin for storage of personal belongings while at school.

Procedure Amelia County Public School 8701 Otterburn Rd. Amelia, VA Dear Parent or Guardian: A bed bug was found in your child’s classroom. The source of the bed bugs often cannot be determined, as bed bugs may be found in many places including movie theaters, hotels and planes. Even though it is unlikely for bed bugs to infest a school, an inspection was conducted and the areas affected were treated. Bed bugs are a nuisance, but their bites are not known to spread disease. Bed bugs are usually active at night and feed on human blood. The bite does not hurt at first, but it may become swollen and itch, much like mosquito bites. Watch for clusters of bites, usually in a line, on exposed areas of the body. If you have medical concerns for you or your child, please contact your doctor. Amelia County Public Schools will continue to work to identify bed bugs, provide inspections of the school, and have a licensed pest control specialist assist with pest management. Contact your physician or school nurse for proper care and treatment of bed bug bites. On the reverse side of this letter we have provided you with accurate information regarding bed bugs. If you have any questions, please contact the school at For more information about bed bugs: Sincerely,  Notification of other parents should only occur if a classroom infestation is identified. The Principal, along with the Superintendent will determine the best method of parent notification such as a letter and/or School Messenger Notification.  A decision will be made if just a particular class needs to be notified or if the entire school/district needs to be notified based on where the bed bug was found and the extent of the infestation.

 Keep the classroom, especially coat and backpack cubbies, as clean and free of clutter as possible.  Consider assigning all students their own plastic box with a tightly sealed lid. This will help with containing any bug that a student may bring into the school.

 Bed Bugs Video 2 Bed Bugs Video 2

 If there are additional concerns, please contact the ACPS Director of Operations or School Nurse Coordinator at