Beverly committee weighs bait boxes, rodenticide pilot after staff survey finds high school mouse sightings

Beverly School Committee members on Jan. 21 began a multi-step discussion about mice in district buildings after building and grounds staff presented staff-survey data and options to reduce infestations.

Why it matters: Staff and union negotiators raised the issue during contract talks, and school staff reported sightings that administrators said exceeded what the district has been able to control with snap and glue traps.

Bob Scirolli, director of building and grounds for Beverly Public Schools, summarized a district staff survey that recorded most buildings with about 10 or fewer mouse sightings in the covered period and the high school with roughly 28–29 sightings. Scirolli said sightings included live animals and evidence (droppings, food in desks, or captures in traps).

Current measures and limits: Scirolli and his vendor, Waltham Pest, said monthly trap checks and staff education about food storage and door sweeps remain first-line defenses, but they do not appear to be sufficient to eradicate mice. "We're catching them here and there, but we're not staying ahead or getting ahead to eradicate them," Scirolli said.

Proposal and concerns: Administration described bait boxes that hold licensed rodenticide as a potential next step, and staff proposed a limited pilot at the high school during a low-occupancy summer period. The district's outside vendor would use a rodenticide that requires a special license and is different from consumer products, the committee was told. Bob Scirolli said the licensed product has a low second‑hand transmission rate compared with over-the-counter poisons.

Committee members asked about animal and human safety, access to bait contents, recovery of carcasses, and possible second-hand poisoning of wildlife or pets. Scirolli said the bait boxes are tamper-proof and that licensed rodenticides used by his vendor are triggered by moisture; he said the vendor believes second‑hand transmission risks are low for indoor use. Administration agreed to obtain the vendor product literature, safety data and transmission statistics for the committee to review.

Policy and next steps: The committee was told the district currently restricts pesticide use on elementary school lawns by policy; changing that restriction would require a formal policy vote. The administration proposed the following sequence: collect vendor safety data and product information, pilot tamper‑proof bait boxes at the high school over a short summer window (the presentation suggested about four weeks late July–mid August), then evaluate whether the pilot reduces sightings and whether any broader policy change or additional mitigation is warranted. Finance and Facilities indicated it will vote to send a formal pest-control policy or recommendation to the full School Committee in coming months for a first reading and possible vote.

Data and evidence: Staff noted that rodent reproduction is fast and that food availability and building access points contribute to infestation risk. Cited control measures included better food storage, door-sweep maintenance and exterior perimeter bait boxes for larger rodents.

Closing: Committee members and administrators agreed to continue the conversation and to bring back the requested vendor documentation and a recommended pilot plan for committee review before authorizing rodenticide use beyond traps.