A Gloucester County elementary school has moved to remote learning after a flea infestation
Staff first discovered fleas in the library, and Aura Elementary School has since pursued multiple treatments to get rid of them.
Students at Aura Elementary School in Elk Township are learning remotely until further notice as the district responds to a flea infestation in the building.
Aura, which teaches kindergarten through sixth grade, closed the school for two days starting Sept. 17 to treat the infestation, first through an organic treatment and then with a chemical treatment, said Fran Ciociola, superintendent of Delsea Regional School District in Gloucester County. Staff first noticed the fleas in the library.
Students then learned off-site temporarily at Hardingville Bible Church and Total Turf in Pitman, Ciociola said, but then the county required Aura to move to remote learning instead.
There is no timeline yet for when students will return to in-person class, and it is unclear whether the fleas have spread.
“The treatment has been ongoing and we hope to be back in the building soon,” Ciociola said in an email.
James Rambo, Elk Township’s mayor, posted Monday on Facebook offering “any township support that could help get our students back in the classroom sooner.”
“Our shared priority is getting our children back into a safe learning environment as quickly as possible,” Rambo wrote.
Other South Jersey school districts have faced closures of their own this September. Camden County’s Lindenwold School 4, which went remote after fire damage earlier this month, reopened last week.
Plus, the first day of school for students in Mantua Township was pushed back after storms left thousands without power and roadways blocked.
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