South Holland mayor says Thornwood bedbug outbreak is under control, overblown

A bed bug infestation at Thornwood High School is “under control” and is being overblown on social media, according to South Holland Mayor Don DeGraff.

The bedbugs came into school from at least one student in a fashion similar to a lice outbreak, DeGraff said. Thornwood diagnosed the source of the outbreak and took action to reduce the spread, he said.

DeGraff did not confirm if the outbreak had ended completely.

“We’ve been told and assured by the superintendent and the principal through the superintendent that they are on top of the problem and it’s fine and they do not need to close the school,” he said.

The district did not respond to a request for comment. Principal Don Holmes declined to comment, directing questions to the district’s public relations manager who did not respond to messages Friday.

News of the outbreak spread throughout the school and grabbed the attention of ABC7, which interviewed several students who called for the school to be closed. It is unclear when the outbreak first started. But DeGraff said the attention this outbreak has received is more of an indication of how social media can add fuel to concerns of an otherwise regular, controlled incident.

“What’s happened is the social media aspect of this has outplayed its coverage,” said DeGraff. “It’s way beyond what it actually should be.”