Mouse droppings, urine stains and dead rodents have turned up across James Monroe Middle School in Albuquerque, according to staff and parents who say the infestation has gotten bad enough that one mother's son stopped eating lunch at school altogether. The reports have triggered a union grievance against Albuquerque Public Schools and renewed questions about how the district is handling pest control inside an active school building serving students in grades 6 through 8.
Ashleigh Schuh, a parent of a student at James Monroe, told KOAT that her son has avoided the cafeteria since hearing rodents had been spotted there. “He hasn't been eating lunch at school because supposedly there were rodents found in the cafeteria,” she said. Schuh said her son also described a mouse trap tucked behind a trash can, feces scattered throughout the building and a urine smell lingering in most classrooms.
An anonymous staff member who shared photos and firsthand accounts with the station described mice being spotted regularly, along with a teacher's belongings chewed through and destroyed. “Student work, food, everything — everything is contaminated,” the staff member said. The photos, which were also shared with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, allegedly showed droppings, urine stains, damaged supplies and dead mice in several areas of the school, including a storage closet and spots where glue traps had been set.
Union Grievance Reaches Its Highest Level
The Albuquerque Teachers Federation submitted a grievance to the district on September 16, 2026, according to federation president Sarah Hager. Staff and union representatives say that grievance initially went unaddressed before it was escalated to Level 3, the highest tier in the process, which can involve lawyers and a special review committee. The union has also confirmed that some staff illnesses linked to mice exposure were reported to the district's medical provider.
Hager said APS has since begun addressing the problem and that she hopes the grievance can eventually be de-escalated to a lower level. The teachers federation has expressed confidence that it can continue working with the district to resolve the dispute.
District Says Conditions Have Improved
APS confirmed to the station that the first work order tied to the mice issue was submitted on September 24, 2026 — eight days after the union's grievance was filed. The district said technicians have been on-site daily since then to address the problem, and that conditions have improved considerably as a result. A contractor also cleaned carpets at the school, though the anonymous staff member said that process temporarily made the urine smell worse rather than better.
APS said it will continue monitoring the situation and deploy the resources necessary to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment. Schuh, reacting to additional images from inside the school, said she hadn't realized how bad the infestation looked until she saw them. She emphasized the importance of a clean, safe environment for students and staff alike, saying the district has the ability to remedy the conditions and that, until it does, students and staff remain at risk.
Health Risks Tied To Rodent Infestations
Dr. Abinash “Ash” Achrekar, identified by the station as its UNM health expert, said mice infestations can pose serious health risks, including hantavirus, meningitis and respiratory issues. He added that airborne contaminants from mice droppings and urine can affect children's pulmonary health, potentially worsening asthma and allergies.
Albuquerque does have a municipal framework governing rodent control: a city document titled Article 7, Insect and Rodent Control includes a section on inspecting buildings, premises and vacant lots for pest problems. Separately, procurement records posted by Albuquerque Public Schools indicate that its Food and Nutrition Services division, including its Central Kitchen, may need to be placed on a regular pest-control spray schedule, with additional schools or departments potentially added to any resulting contract.
Not An Isolated Problem For Schools
James Monroe is far from the only school to grapple with a rodent problem. In Pennsylvania, state inspectors determined R.W. Clark Elementary School had returned to compliance after mouse droppings were found throughout the building, once workers sealed exterior entry points, began storing perishable food in plastic containers and placed non-bait traps around the building's perimeter, according to the Herald-Standard. In Montclair, New Jersey, parents at Watchung School reported in March 2025 that mice droppings were found inside a student's tote bag and other bags were chewed through by rodents, as reported by ABC7 New York.
The issue isn't limited to schools, either. Jefferson County Public Health in Colorado temporarily shut down the AMC Westminster Promenade 24 movie theater after an October 15 inspection turned up dead mice, droppings and possible entry points, according to the Denver Post; the theater reopened four days later after professional cleaning and pest remediation cleared a reinspection. For now, APS maintains that daily work at James Monroe has already brought improvement, even as the union grievance and parent concerns remain unresolved.
