Updated on 3/27/14 (photos)

Link may be inappropriate for the squeamish (photo courtesy of Melissa Marquez)

Lincoln’s staff discovered a pest infestation at school this week.

These pests? Well, rats!

Students learned of the school’s rat problem through an announcement by the principal, Mr. Hewitson, during 5th period on Monday. Exterminators have been called in to end this invasion one way or another (we’ll spare you the graphic images of what exactly they’re doing to end it). Rat traps have been placed throughout Lincoln’s campus.

Mr. Erlendson, a science teacher who has been investigating the infestation, said that rats don’t like to be in places where they can be noticeably spotted. One male rat mates with several female rats about every 6 months, and they produce a lot of offspring. According to Erlendson, the first rat sighting occurred on Friday. The main reason the rats arrived at Lincoln was because everyone tends to stash food here, like in desks and corners. Rats’ sense of smell is very strong, so they can track the food right away. However, in open areas, you won’t see too many rats.

Erlendson advised, “If we all don’t make an effort to clean up more, then the rat problem will just become bigger and bigger.”

In the meantime, the administration has cracked down on food inside of the classrooms, and students are no longer permitted to eat lunch inside the main building until further notice.

Additionally, food may no longer be stored inside of classrooms.

Students are encouraged to clear their lockers of all food products and not to store food, lunches, snacks, etc., in lockers overnight.

Lion Tales will be covering the story as this trap is set.

Update: 03/24/14

English teacher Ms. Buttrill has found a dead rat caught in a trap next to her desk. Prior to finding this dead rat, she had noticed rat droppings around the classroom, rat urine, and oily rat trails in her book shelves.

Ms.Buttrill had a certain prop in her classroom from an old show that was filled with dried peas. When she went to look at the prop, it was empty, with a small hole. The rats had been feasting on her dried peas. Since the rat problem started, she has begun enforcing the “no food in class” rule. Even she has been eating her breakfast outside of class to avoid more rats.

Ms. Buttrill had noticed she had been having a bad cough for a while, but once the rat was caught and her classroom was disinfected, her coughing came to an end. It could have been that she was inhaling the rat feces into her lungs, and that was what started the cough.

Wanda Alcorn, one of our school administrators, stated that she has not seen any rats in the dance rooms yet, but she is being more strict on the girls about leaving food and junk in their lockers in the locker rooms.

Update: 03/28/14

During this upcoming weekend, a pest control company called, “Kill Roy” will be exterminating the spots where most rats have been spotted. They will be setting several rat traps all around campus, to try and solve this rat problem. All classrooms have been inspected and there are no health hazards what so ever.

The school district is helping us with this rodent problem. The rats have mainly been spotted in the older buildings such as, the small gym, the big gym, and the main building. The new traps that will be set are called poison bait traps. What these traps do is the when the rat comes out to find food for it’s family the rat will take the poisonous food back to its family and kill every rat that feasts on it.

In the past we have not had a rat problem this serious. Students can help solve the rat problem by not eating in class, not leaving food in desks or lockers, and not leaving trash in the main building. Staff hopes that this rat problem will be cleared within the next couple of weeks.

Update: 04/03/14

Here are some fun facts you may not know about rats, courtesy of Ms. Handschuh:

1. If a rat sees a small opening, if their head can fit, they can manage to squeeze their whole body into it. Apparently, their butt bones are really flexible.

2. When the rat gets caught in a snap trap, the trap severs its spinal cord.

3. The more the rats refrain from gnawing on stuff, the more their teeth grow.

4. There are actual dogs who are bred to hunt rats.

5. The most common rat we encounter is the Norwegian rat.

6. In India, there are temples devoted to the rat.

7. In Chicago, the sewer rats are as big as possums.

Update: 4/10/14

According to an email from Pat Georgoff from the SJUSD Operations department, Killroy Pest Control will finally be coming to Lincoln on Monday, April 14 to exterminate all the buildings inside and out. They ask that no one enters the main building during the time of the extermination. Staff will be able to enter the building the next day. The following insects will also be exterminated: cockroaches, spiders and ants. The gyms and locker rooms will be closed to all activities.

Update: 4/21/14

The rats have been taken out for good. Exterminators arrived on campus during Monday and Tuesday of spring break and sprayed the main building, killing all rats that had taken up residence there in the past few weeks.