Bed bug complaints infest school board

Concerned residents confronted the Duplin County Board of Education at the Nov. 5 meeting about bed bugs being found recently at Kenansville Elementary School.

Three individuals signed up for public comment to address the board on the topic.

Marissa Phipps had several items to address. She started off by stating that she was both nervous and angry as she began addressing the board with her concerns.

“This is a big immediate concern. We cannot keep asking our children and staff to report to work to risk bringing it home to our environment and spreading it worse,” she said. “Why not let us go remote, do it for a week, and come back to a clean environment? Yes, we cannot stop it from happening again, but we can stop it from spreading.”

She also brought up bullying in schools, stating that it was a major issue.

“If you look at the suicide rates in Duplin County, it’s the highest because bullying has not been handled,” she asserted. “Instead it’s being brushed to the side — saying to a child that’s not nice or handing out a stay away agreement. When a child is stuck in a classroom with 30 other kids that is also bullying them, it does not work.”

She said her other concerns included: her and other parents being disrespected in the office, students with parents who work in the school getting special treatment, and money being allocated to things like a teacher lounge when teachers are buying supplies out of pocket.

“I’ve also been told not to speak out, because I have sub license, about what I see at the school house. I was called 18 times today to be silenced to not come speak after addressing a board member.”

Amber Bostic was next, stating that her grandchildren go to Kenansville Elementary School and she is disappointed in how the bed bug situation is being handled.

“We get more notifications on lice than bed bugs,” she said. “What good is a protocol if the parents don’t even know there is a problem. Three weeks they had this problem, and these parents weren’t notified.”

She pointed out that students are traveling to other people’s homes, games, daycares, and other programs, where they could also be spreading bugs. She also stated that she did not understand why the social services building and an EMT site were shut down but not the school. She agreed with Phipps that the students should be remote until the issue is addressed.

Candice Evans was the last to speak up on the topic. She said the teachers and students could be breathing in the fumes that was sprayed the night before so she also believed the school should be closed for a few days.

“I was told it’s isolated. It is not isolated. It’s on three buses and there are several grade rooms that it’s in,” she said. “I was also made aware that it wasn’t sprayed all over that school. It was only sprayed in certain rooms. So you’re not treating the whole school, and I don’t see how that’s beneficial.”

Shelly Randall said she wanted to speak on behalf of students who are falling behind.

“I’m here today to advocate for a group of students who are falling through the cracks of our current school’s education system,” she said. “There are children who do not require fully contained EC classes, but who also cannot successfully function and make meaningful academic progress in a traditional educational classroom even with intervention and additional supports.”

She asked the board to consider creating an intermediate EC program that would provide specialized small group instruction for core academic subjects while also being able to participate with their peers in other courses.

“These children should not have to fail in a traditional classroom before receiving a more appropriate educational opportunity nor should they have to have an intellectual disability to qualify for an instructional environment that meets their needs,” she said.

Jayne Zesiger asked to be acknowledged and, instead of addressing the board, spoke directly to the public comment speakers.

“To the parents that spoke up, you will not get phone calls, and they will not follow protocol,” she said. “I cannot go into what I’m going through, but they will give you every line in the book, and the best you can do is take it to the next level. I know for a fact because I wrote six letters to these board members up here and didn’t hear from none of them for three months, so stay with it and fight them.”

Other business

One student, Kloe DeHoyos of North Duplin Jr./Sr. High School, was able to lead a prayer at the top of the meeting. DeHoyos is a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle leader for volleyball, basketball, and softball. She has also attended the FCA Leadership Camp twice, gaining her qualification as an FCA student volunteer

Dennis Sutton presented the Clean School Award of the quarter to North Duplin Jr./High School. He gave them kudos for winning twice in 2026 and being complimented by a contractor. Three employees, Thomas Mejia, Adriana Martinez, and Berta Balle, went up to receive the award.