U.S. schools closed due to flea outbreak

Exterminators are working to wipe out fleas that have infested two Oakland elementary schools.

 Two elementary schools in Oakland will remain closed for the rest of the week because of a flea infestation that may have been caused by raccoons in the area, school officials said Wednesday.

"The move comes after a major flea problem developed on campus," the Oakland Unified School District said in announcing the two-day closure beginning Thursday of Esperanza Elementary School and Korematsu Discovery Academy, which are located next door to each other.

Exterminators have been working for a couple of weeks to eliminate fleas, but the problem persists and school closings will prevent fleas from spreading across campuses, the district said in a statement.

"In addition, it will allow teams to do a more thorough cleaning of all classrooms and common areas, including the removal of all carpets where fleas took up residence and laid their eggs," the release said

The schools have a park on one side and a wooded area on the other and "have seen problems with raccoons," the district said. Experts brought in by the district believe the animals may have caused the flea problem.

Oakland schools welcomed students back to face-to-face classes in August after more than a year of distance learning due to the pandemic.

"Exterminators say not to expect the flea problem to be completely resolved" when classrooms reopen Monday, the district said, noting that flea extermination may take a month and a half or more to complete, but there should be noticeable improvement.