Bed bugs are a pest that commonly infest individual homes and apartments, hotels or motels, shelters, and other places where people spend a lot of time sleeping or resting.

picture of a classroom setting with a teacher and studentsOccasionally, bed bugs will be found in other places such as schools. Bed bugs can be introduced into the school after hitchhiking on the belongings of a student, employee, or visitor.

Because people are no sleeping areas in most schools, it is not an ideal place for a bed bug.

Finding a single bug, or even a small number of bugs, does not mean there is an infestation in the school. If bugs are found, a pest control professional needs to be consulted as soon as possible.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines do not recommend that students be sent home from school or otherwise excluded if bed bugs are found on clothing or belongings.

For more information about bed bugs in schools, refer to the following resources: