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3 families in Steel Valley SD have bedbugs; schools to reopen Thursday

Steel Valley Middle and High School parents pulled their kids out of classes after students posted pictures and videos of what they believe to be bedbugs in different rooms.

Related >>> Pittsburgh one of worst cities for bed bugs, report says

Channel 11's Erin Clarke started making calls about the complaints after those students took to social media.

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It wasn't until Tuesday that the district posted a letter to Facebook, saying a "suspected bedbug" was found in the high school and in a middle school student's backpack.

Have bed bug concerns? Click here to visit the CDC's website for more information.

The superintendent said they don't believe this is an infestation, but are treating it as such and had an exterminator come to the school. The Allegheny County Health Department was also notified.

The school district was closed on Wednesday to clean and treat all the buildings.

A letter that went out to parents said three families have bedbugs, and those families have children in three different schools in the district.

Steel Valley closed all five of its buildings Wednesday after students reported bugs at the middle school and high school.

In the letter, district officials suggested parents to check their homes for bedbugs. However, the district will not be closed Thursday because all of the schools were inspected and treated by exterminators.

Pest control company Orkin offers the following tips to help detect bed bugs,:  

  • Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly.
  • Decrease clutter around your home to make it easier to spot bed bugs on your own or during professional inspections.
  • Inspect all secondhand furniture before bringing it inside your home. This is a common way for bed bugs to be introduced into homes.
  • Dry potentially infested bed linens, curtains and stuffed animals on the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.
  • Bed bugs are an elusive threat to your household and beyond, as they can reproduce quickly and travel on your belongings, so it's critical to detect and treat for them as early as possible.

According to Home Advisor, homeowners spend an average of $1,000 to $2,500 to exterminate bed bugs.

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