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Mount Hebron video shows decay
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“It just came up from under the soda machine and everyone just started jumping up everywhere,” said Tyler Summers in the 10-minute video produced by students last year, but posted on the Internet video sharing site last week.
“That’s still really nasty that there was a rat in our cafeteria.”
Howard school officials repeatedly denied any rats were inside the building this year, but efforts are under way to rid some rats from the courtyard.
“We confirm that in past years there have been rats in the building, and that an assistant principal did kill one in the cafeteria two years ago,” school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan said.
The video also shows cracked walls and floor tiles and a dead rodent.
“I think it’s important for people to understand what students see and experience every day in the school,” said the video’s poster, Bruce Anderson, to The Examiner on Wednesday.
“It’s really affecting students’ ability to learn in that environment.”
Anderson, parent of a St. John’s Lane Elementary School third-grader, said the video is a followup to another student video shown to the Howard school board in 2004 and addresses the same issues.
A CBS News report in October 2004 on that video included an interview with former Mount Hebron Principal Veronica Bohn, who said she didn’t even want to be asked about how many rats she had seen caught in traps.
“I don’t know what she was referring to. We weren’t very happy with the report. It just wasn’t very balanced,” Caplan said.
Bohn, who retired but works part-time for the school system as a specialist, could not be reached for comment.
Caplan said two rats were discovered in the building since 2003 when records could last be located. One was caught in a trap in the kitchen in April 2005 and one in the cafeteria in March 2006. When evidence of rats was discovered, traps were set, but no other evidence of rats was found after inspections.
When no evidence of rats is found, the likelihood that rats are in the building is low, said Jay Nixon, president of American Pest Management, which the school system contracts.
“Typically not,” Nixon said. “Rats and mice are known for prolifically leaving droppings.”
jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Comments from Examiner Readers
10:30 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 23, 2008 re: "School officials amend Mount Hebron renovation plan"
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Reader said:
No whim on a school for me. My taxes are high enough with no releif in sight. Just threats and lies of caring for the children from our non-accountable government. I never whim, house for sale with no accountability, just losses. Thanks but no thanks to our new self appointed elected school board.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Reader said:
Banks and government and lawyers, and gamblers are famous for pointing fingers on fiscal responsiblity. The school accountant has no complaint, wonder why?
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
After reading all of the posts by teachers in here on a number of different topics I have to wonder. Do teachers have to take economics to get a degree? They seem not to understand how state and local government get their money. Do they not understand what an economic downturn/recession means? They would have government go into debt so they can spend and have whatever is their latest want. They sound like so many of the people who now are in financial trouble because they went into not wise debt. Makes you wonder who really taught our citizens how to overextend their way into debt.
6 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
No was not a matter of brilliance, I simply read the article and saw that the PTSA President accepted the modifications short of a new school. I therefore treated your personal desire for a new school as a whim. I also wanted to point out that government doesn't find money, it taxes citizens and takes their income to pay for services. I would suggest you not use Baltimore County as a model for finding money since they are not giving teachers a raise to fund more needed areas of their budget? Would that be school construction? Are you suggesting no raise in Howard so Mount Hebron can have a new school? Isn't Marriots Ridge a brand new school in Howard with all the bells and whistles?
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Hebron grad, teacher and coach said:
Or maybe the reason most families move to HoCo is because of the public school system and they want what's best for their kids. And I was unaware that a quality, functioning public school without sewage running through the halls was a whim. Thank you for informing me oh brilliant one.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
To Hebron Grad etc. Perhaps the tax/bond increases needed to finance your gradiose school would be what gets them voted out of office. Remember the overwhelming majority of tax payers in your county either don't have children at your school or in any public school. They will remember the tax increase or what was cut out of the budget to finance your whim.
2 agree | 3 disagree
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Hebron grad, teacher and coach said:
While it seems like the latest proposal to "fix" Mt. Hebron is better than the last dozen or so, the taxpayers of Howard County are still paying to put $57 million of lipstcik on an unfit, crumbling and inefficient pig of a building not worth saving. That $57 million will only escalate once the contractors see what kind of garbage they are truly dealing with inside the building. Rats and mice, constant sewage leaks, 8' hallways that look like the DC beltway between classes, faulty heating and cooling systems and falling ceiling tiles are not reasons to build a useless addition when a new school can be built for $80 mil. The elected Board of Ed and Ken Ulman need to figure out how Montgomery, Harford and Baltimore counties are finding money to build new high schools because renovations of HoCo schools (Glenelg and Howard)are proven disasters. Find a way to finance the extra $20 million it would cost to build a new Hebron or prepare to find new jobs when elections roll back around.
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Sam said:
The rich are rich because they don't donate money, only the middle class donate.......Duh !!!!
116 agree | 102 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If this is the wealthiest school, why are the rich not donating to there school? Fund raising is a priority in my public school, with over 30K raised already. If you raise it, build it and the rats will still come.
119 agree | 120 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
We must defer to the student's opinion; even as poorly written as they are.
124 agree | 91 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The earlier responder may be an anti-semite.
129 agree | 93 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You think Hebron is wierd. Take a look at Gilman. Now there's a case of sick.
138 agree | 148 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
50K for a score board? Was the old one fine? That kills a lot of mice and rats.
138 agree | 101 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a student At Mt.Hebron High i feel the need to voice the option of myself and others that attend the school. First let me clear up some rumors the whole the wouldn't let them in because or rosh hasana is incorrect or at least partially couldn't. The reason that they couldent get in was because the school was locked and no one was there to let them in. I live close to the school and when passing by i saw no cars or any people there. Let me say this right now....The situation has been blown a little bit out of proportion. When walking in the halls its not like you get mobbed by rats or drenched in sewage. I have never actually seen a rat at the school or leaky pipes. Although I do believe the stories they have been exaggerated by angry parents in hopes of getting renovations. Finally, as for the drugs, cmon people its high school its not just hebron. As for financial that is the one flawed area that i do think poor decisions were made 50,grand on a new scoreboard when the other one
150 agree | 116 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The administration at Mt. Hebron are not concerned about the health of the students and staff at the school, only about their own embarassment. I can't believe that they would't let health inspectors into the school on Thursday because it was Rosh Hashana. What, are the rats Jewish?? The problem needs to be investigated, not covered up. It was better that the school be inspected, while closed. The inspectors could have covered more areas, without disruptions. The administration of the school didn't want a thouough inspection, did they?
172 agree | 157 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Obviously, some of these posts are from students who need to be re-educated. How in the world do they pass any tests? They are incoherent. For the wealthiest county in Maryland, this would be unbelievable if I hadn't tried to read them myself. Maybe the rats are more of a distraction than realized. What to do, what to do, put some mustard in my shoe.
162 agree | 144 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Hey Skittles. Funny.
143 agree | 158 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Teacher please don't leave food, snacks or anything editable in the cafeteria out, if you ever want to deter the germy rats. How are the dumpster's kept. We blame blame blame but educate your self, we are most often the culprits in not deterring the rats. The trash is over flowing how often is it dumped and the cafeteria lady wont refrigerate all the food or pu sealed containers, the teacher have candy and snacks everyday at their desks.
154 agree | 165 disagree
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Appalled Howard County Taxpayer said:
I find it appalling that in the wealthiest county in the state and 3rd wealthiest in the nation that these conditions exist!!! The HoCo Board of Education has been aware of the conditions at Mount Hebron for YEARS. For heaven's sake there was even a story on the national news about the conditions at the school a few years ago. Sadly, even kids that are presently in middle school won't benefit from a new or restored Mount Hebron as the "system" is horribly SLOW in addressing these well known issues.
165 agree | 148 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Whether "Skittles the Rat" is a student or an adult, I suggest that Skittles re-start his education by returning to elementary school and learning the basics of English grammar. His writing is atrocious.
164 agree | 157 disagree
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Skittles the Rat said:
Hello, my name is being Skittles. My job is being Pet. It is being a very hard job. I must being cute all the time, even when it is the Bad Day. But none of my days will ever being as bad as the days of those rats! All they is wanting to be doing is going to School. They are not having a human of their own to home schooling them! Why is it being wrong for them to want to be going to school and learning? Skittles is thinking this is being racial discriminations! Why is these rats not having the eakwal rights? If they are pet rats they would be having their own room, safe from Predators, and foods, and water bottle, and nice soft things for making the nest, and humans would being their slaves and doing the cleaning. Some pets are living right at School! Eddie the Guinea Pig, who is mean and antysocial to Skittles, is living at School! No body is pestisidesing him! Is no fair, and Skittles is a mad rat. Skittles will going on Strike. No more cute! Pet rodents unite and Strike to save rats
164 agree | 135 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How do we blame he government on everything. When was a rat report filed? There are rats everywhere and updates needed on schools everywhere. Wait in line with the rest of the tax payers. A petition and uproar is not always needed to get things done. Hoe about reporting it before you complain about it so unprofessionally.
149 agree | 147 disagree
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What they earn said:
As to why they forced parents to file a public information request, school system spokesman Patti Caplan said, "We just like to document a request like that and for them to say exactly what they’re looking for." Right. That's credible. Now, the parents should have some fun. The salary of Caplan and of every other government employee is discloseable through the MD Public Information Act. Let's get it and publish it. Maybe that will drive home to her and other government workers that they should be sharing most of what they do without prompting by Public Information Act requests.
187 agree | 149 disagree
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