Thanks OEEP for engaging in this discussion and appreciate the details. The MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Program (OEEP) should have sent a detailed letter re: this situation right away to every 6th grade parent at Westland after this recent incident. There needs to be more accountability and communication coming from OEEP to parents if there are bed bugs found during an outdoor ed session. Westland handled the situation the best it could but ultimately it is Outdoor Ed's responsibility. And you mention Skycroft is a non-profit - yes, like all religious organizations they are lucky to have a non-profit status - they are owned by a Baptist organization - but I'm not sure how that excuses them from this in any way.

"are you from sky croft or mcps? It is always about the money, so are you trying to save your job or save your contract? Which is it?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skycroft has a chronic bed bug problem and I have heard that there were children with bites from the recent Westland trip. Whether they took the time to report them is another story. Stop defending Skycroft and let's look at the best interest of children and families here. I also was wondering the same thing to the poster who defended Skycroft - who do you work for and what is your "interest" in this? This wasn't a one time incident but one that seems to keep coming up over and over again.

I should have been more specific in my post above. I am a teacher with the MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Program (OEEP), a program in whose merits I believe whole-heartedly. You are welcome to question my motives as much as you like. It doesn't change the truthfulness of anything that I've posted previously. Sadly, I do appreciate how money and economics all too often drive our actions. In this case, Skycroft has spent a great deal of money to assure the well being of their guests. If more guests introduce bed bugs to their facility in the future, they'll need to do it again, just like any hotel or conference center.

I feel I should point out that Skycroft is a non-profit organization. They have been a conference center for decades and intend to be one for decades to come. If a 'fly-by-night' hotel owner wanted to make quick money by cramming guests into an infested facility, refuse to treat, and then close up shop and move away. . . that might make money for such a business person. . . over a very short term and at the expense of his reputation. There is absolutely no reason why Skycroft would feel the need to operate like that. In fact, they take great pains to be on the look out for potential problems, isolate those problems, and eliminate risk to future guests.

Everyone is indeed looking at the 'best interest of children and families here." When a guest brought bed bugs to Skycroft the threat was discovered by Skycroft housekeeping, the area was immediately shut down and treated by Skycroft management, and everyone who may have been impacted by that guest's negligent actions was alerted and informed of the precautionary actions they should take. The only "chronic bed bug problem" in place here is due to people who travel and do not take the necessary precautions to eliminate the spread.

If you owned a hotel and someone brought bed bugs to your facility, what would you do?

Anonymous wrote:Skycroft has a chronic bed bug problem and I have heard that there were children with bites from the recent Westland trip. Whether they took the time to report them is another story. Stop defending Skycroft and let's look at the best interest of children and families here. I also was wondering the same thing to the poster who defended Skycroft - who do you work for and what is your "interest" in this? This wasn't a one time incident but one that seems to keep coming up over and over again.

+1