Mobile high school student allegedly asked to clean up live rat

SEMMES, Ala. ( WKRG ) — A parent said that a teacher gave her son a dustpan and asked him to clean up a live rat found in a Mary G. Montgomery High School bathroom.

Word spread on social media over the past few days, and viewers have questioned the matter.

So, CBS 42 sister station WKRG News 5 looked further into the issue.

Indeed, that teacher’s action did not align with the Mobile County Public School System’s procedures, News 5 has learned.

“Official protocol is that if someone at a school sees a rodent, they should contact the custodian or on-site maintenance technician, who are trained in proper disposal,” MCPSS spokesperson Rena Philips said.

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Philips said parents should have nothing to worry about as far as appearances from other rodents. MCPSS campuses are treated monthly by a contracted pest control company.

“An MCPSS facilities crew visited the school and will continue to work with the school to make sure the issue is under control,” Philips said.

“We do have rodent issues from time to time, just as any other school system or facility would. We do our best to be preventative.”

The school’s principal contacted the parent to apologize and ensure the issue “does not happen again.”

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