School officials: Rat problem solved at Coakley

HARLINGEN - After a rat scare at Coakley Middle School, Harlingen school district officials said Tuesday the problem is solved.

School Superintendent Linda Wade said a pest control company worked over Spring Break vacation to exterminate rats that had been reportedly seen at the middle school.

"Since (the extermination efforts) we haven't seen or heard of any more problems," Wade said. "But of course we'll continue to monitor (the school)."

The rat problem was first noticed in January, Wade said in a previous interview. Rats had been spotted in the seventh-grade wing of the school, but did not interrupt daily school operations.

The pest control company used rat bait traps inside and outside the seventh-grade wing and caught some of the rodents that way, Wade said.

Wade said she spoke with Coakley Middle School Principal Kevin Brackmeyer on Tuesday morning and he seemed happy and confident the rats had been exterminated.

"There's been no additional signs of rodents," Wade said. "We do have a cycle of pest control in the school district, this was just above and beyond."

Wade also said previously that she did not know what had caused the rat problem at the school but said the change in weather might have been a factor.

She said Tuesday that the school is currently trying to figure out how the rats got inside the school and are watching possible entry points.