Ione Elementary works to get flea problem under control

Students returning to Ione Elementary for a new school year received an unpleasant welcome: fleas.

The insects were reported in and around the backside portable classrooms, with some students saying they were bitten, according to an update from the school.

For Patricia Angeja, who has two children at Ione Elementary, the problem wasn't exactly a surprise.

"It's definitely not surprising, but I would think at least with the widespread issue last year, it could have been a learning experience," Angeja said.

Angeja is referring to what happened at the school last year, when Ione Elementary closed for a day after a flea infestation was discovered.

Now, a year later, the fleas are back.

For Angeja's family, that previous experience also became a lesson in how fleas can spread.

"We explain that usually animals carry them in and then they can jump onto you," Angeja said.

In a message to families, the school's principal said the school is taking several steps to address the problem. Those measures include checking the foundations of each portable classroom, applying pesticides and increasing maintenance support for daily vacuuming.

Angeja said she trusts the school's maintenance staff to handle the issue.

"I trust the expertise of the maintenance staff because they're the ones that handle these issues," Angeja said. "It seemed to work last year. There weren't any more bites, as far as I knew, reported after all the treatment they did."

But the problem isn't unique to Ione Elementary.

CJ Sims, owner of CJ the Bug Guy, says he's seeing signs of a broader increase in flea activity.

"There has been a bit of an uptick. I've been getting a bit more flea calls lately than I have in the last couple of years," Sims said.

Sims said one of the biggest challenges is determining what is bringing fleas into an area in the first place.

"Wildlife is one of the biggest contributors of flea activity, so with rodents, squirrels, rats, and all that kind of stuff," Sims said. "Then you go into raccoons, possums, even bears, like mountain lions. All those things, they all carry fleas."

The school is asking parents to check their children for flea bites.

Meanwhile, school officials said they are taking steps to address the issue and keep students and staff safe.