Queens school's bed bug announcement raises concerns, hairs

OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- Bed bugs were discovered at a school in Queens, and many parents are questioning if the school acted quickly enough to inform students.

Officials at John Adams High School say they told families about the infestation the day it was discovered, but some think that might not be true.

The school sent a note out this week telling parents they had detected bed bugs in the 87-year-old building and that they would fumigate over the holiday vacation, which started when school let out Friday. Students say the school badly needs it.

"There's mad infestations in this damn school," student Isaiah Price said. "Water bugs, bed bugs, roaches, I saw a spider yesterday morning. But as of right now, they said that over the break, they're going to do a fumigation of the school...Yeah, they need that."

It's not clear how long the school has known about the problem or why they didn't do something about it earlier, but one teacher said it's a minor issue confined to a small area.

"Not a big deal at all," math teacher Peter Dibona said. "It's a little problem, and it's going to be sorted out right after the break."

But the students don't think of it that way.

"Myself, personally, I keep my stuff on my back," Price said.

"It's disgusting," another student added. "It's dirty...it's crazy."

However serious the problem is, though, some students are just creeped out by the possibility of tracking bed bugs back to their homes.