Booklice found on Five Towns school buses

Problem was rectified, vehicles were cleaned

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Booklice was discovered on an Independent Coach bus Thursday morning as it took students to Lawrence Middle School.
A fifth grade student called her mother after she got to the school. The mother, a Cedarhurst resident, who asked not to be identified, said her daughter informed her of seeking the booklice on the bus.
“[My daughter] said the bus was crawling with bugs,” the woman said. “I spoke to a supervisor who said they would check it out.”
Booklice are not considered true lice. Similar in size and shape to lice, booklice feed only on fungi or mold. They are typically found in places of high humidity where mold can grow. Booklice don’t bite, transmit disease or damage food or fabric. But like fruit flies they’re a nuisance in large numbers.
Inwood-based Independent Coach that provides the buses for the Lawrence School District did not return a call for comment, but Lawrence Transportation Supervisor Jeremy Feder said the buses have been cleaned and the bus where the booklice was found was “out of commission” for Thursday afternoon’s runs.

“As a parent I am disgusted and upset that they even allowed my kids on the bus,” the woman said. “The only reason they checked is because of my daughter. Something needs to be done.”
The Shulamith School for Girls in Cedarhurst and Hewlett-Woodmere district officials also confirmed that buses that their students were on had booklice. Naomi N. Herzberg, the director of operations for Shulamith said it was quickly taken care of by Independent Coach.
Peter Weber, Hewlett-Woodmere’s deputy superintendent, said there was a report of the booklice on a bus that transported Hewlett High School students on Sept. 2, the district’s first day of school. “The bus company responded with their own inspection of all buses, finding no other similar cases, then chose to take an extra step and followed recommended cleaning protocols for the fleet,” Weber said.