Rodent Problem At East High Contained, But Prom May Be In Jeopardy

DENVER (CBS4) – Denver East High School has made progress on its rodent problem and the issue is now contained, but the school's prom could be in jeopardy.

The Department of Environmental Health shut down the school's kitchen and cafeteria for several days earlier this month, but much of the problem was in the school's storage areas where items like prom decorations and props were stored and were destroyed.

(credit: city of Denver)

"If they're going to have this many kids in the school then they need to take care of things like that," student Ducharme Williams said.

In a letter to seniors and their parents, the school's After Prom Committee said, "The rodent infestation took a very serious toll on the closet that housed all of the after prom props and materials. As a result almost everything in there has been discarded."

"The school is probably going to have to do a whole bunch of fundraising now to regain the money for that," Williams said.

The letter says fundraising for the annual event has only just begun, and although they are starting from scratch, both the committee and students are hopeful.

(credit: CBS)

"Prom isn't right around the corner," student Evan Atwell said.

"It's only like the end of the first semester and we still have a lot of time," senior Aleea Campbell said.

The Department of Environmental Health says the school's cleaning process will continue over winter break and they'll be going back in for another inspection before the start of next semester.