An elementary school in Saint-Jude, in the Montérégie region, had to deal with an infestation of raccoons in the false ceilings of its administrative wing outside of the school period. The management had decided to take advantage of the summer holidays to proceed with the partial repair of the roof, and it was during this work that the workers discovered an active nest with significant traces of contamination in the false ceiling cavity. Saint-Jude, a rural municipality in the Saint-Hyacinthe region surrounded by farmland, provides favourable habitat for raccoons that move between farm woodlots and built-up areas. The health and safety of students was the top priority for this intervention. Nova Extermination coordinated its work with the extermination team in Saint-Jude for a complete restoration before the start of the school year.
School health inspection and assessment
The inspection of a school is subject to particularly strict health standards, due to the regular presence of children in all spaces. Our technician inspected the entire roof, the soffits, the centralized ventilation ducts, the technical rooms and the shed for outdoor equipment. Two main access points were identified: a roof fan with a broken protective mesh and a loose cladding blade at the base of the administrative wing. The false ceilings of several offices had droppings, imprints on the accumulated dust and traces of regular movements. The amount of droppings observed indicated an occupancy of at least six weeks. The nest, located in the most isolated corner of the cavity, contained volumieux nesting material, which suggested the presence of young at the beginning of the season.
Calendar-friendly capture
The capture of raccoons in a school was organized to end well before the start of the school year. The live-trap cages were installed on the roof and outside the building, outside any area accessible to the students. Daily checks were conducted early in the morning, before maintenance personnel arrived. Two adults were captured in three nights and relocated immediately. A further four days of monitoring without activity concluded the capture phase. The time available before the start of the school year made it possible to carry out all the stages of the intervention, from capture to the final closure of the accesses, without haste. Consult our work on a similar intervention to appreciate the rigor of our approach in an institutional setting.
Decontamination according to public health standards
The decontamination of a school building follows protocols that comply with public health requirements for spaces welcoming minors. All the contaminated false ceilings were removed section by section, each soiled portion being hermetically bagged before evacuation. The support structures and ventilation surfaces were treated with an approved hospital disinfectant. The outdoor equipment shed has also been completely cleaned. A forced ventilation protocol was applied for 48 hours before the new false ceilings were replaced. Decontamination of the attic and ceiling spaces is a top priority in this context. A certified decontamination report was provided to management for its institutional health inspection records.
Closure of access and prevention plan for the establishment
The roof fan has been fitted with a tight-mesh, impact-resistant stainless steel replacement grille. The loose coating blade was fixed and reinforced. The entire roof perimeter was inspected and all risk areas were treated preventively. An annual preventive maintenance plan was given to the management, including a checklist to be checked before each school year. Maintenance teams have been trained on the warning signs of an infestation: nocturnal noises, odours, scratches on the frames. Our Entry Closure Service can be called upon each fall for a systematic perimeter check prior to the cold season, when raccoons are actively seeking shelter in institutional buildings and residences.