Hot meals return to school after mice, roach infestation

CHICAGO — A hot lunch program should resume Friday at an elementary school in Little Village, despite a rodent and roach infestation in the kitchenand lunchroom.

For nearly two months, students at Maria Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd., have been eating cold lunches in their classrooms, after mice and roaches were discovered throughout the school’s kitchen facilities.

The school was fumigated over spring break, but the mice and roaches came back, so a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman said the district will begin trucking in hot breakfasts and lunches from a private contractor, which provides meals for more than 100 schools that do not have full kitchens.

Simon Perez was dropping off his 7-year-old nephew at Saucedo on Thursday.

“It is kind of creepy, yeah,” he said. “Hopefully, though, we’ll figure out something soon. … We had the meeting with the principal yesterday, and they’re bringing hot lunches in now, so at least that’s one step ahead.”