Miller Place parents raise concerns over ticks at schools amid spike in tick activity on LI
Families with children attending Andrew Muller Primary School say the issue has become increasingly alarming as warmer weather brings more outdoor activity and a heightened risk of tick exposure.
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Parents in the Miller Place School District are raising concerns after several children reportedly came home from school with ticks attached to them, prompting renewed attention to the growing tick problem across Long Island.
Families with children attending Andrew Muller Primary School say the issue has become increasingly alarming as warmer weather brings more outdoor activity and a heightened risk of tick exposure.
“We’ve had a lot of parents just being worried about their kids contracting life-altering debilitating diseases from these ticks,” Miller Place parent Leonora Purellku said.
Another parent, Helen Valencia, said protecting her child from ticks has become part of the family’s daily routine.
“I have to spray her right before she goes in,” Valencia said. “I stand and spray her — it’s part of the routine.”
In response to the concerns, a spokesperson for the Miller Place School District said there have been no confirmed tick sightings at any schools. However, district officials acknowledged the concerns and said preventative spraying treatments have begun in targeted areas around school grounds.
The district plans to continue spraying for ticks every two weeks through the end of the school year.
The concerns in Miller Place follow similar complaints last month in the Middle Country School District, where officials also announced plans for preventative spraying.
Medical professionals say the increase in tick activity is not surprising. Dr. Andrew Handel, of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said doctors are seeing more tick bites and tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome, a condition that can trigger an allergy to red meat.
“We know they are biting quite a bit right now,” Handel said.
According to the New York State Department of Health, Long Island is currently the only region in the state considered to have a high tick risk.
Doctors recommend parents check children carefully after spending time outdoors. If a tick is found, experts advise removing it promptly with tweezers and saving the tick so it can be identified by a doctor if necessary.
“For many of these infections, the longer the tick is on you, the higher the risk there is of getting it,” Handel said. “So the quicker you get the tick off, the safer you’ll be.”
