McCafferty: Saying one thing, doing another?
MANCHESTER, NH October 2, 2025–Hillside Middle School Principal Brendan McCafferty has sent a letter home to parents updating them on the school’s progress battling a massive cockroach infestation that’s existed since school started last month. In the letter, McCafferty announces a “two-week treatment period,” he claims is “aggressive” while saying that exterminators “us(ing) the least toxic pesticides is of the utmost importance.”
In the letter, McCafferty offers “tips” on how to address the problem in school, asserting that “staff, students, and families should report pest problems or conditions at their school to building administration;” an odd statement given that Hillside is infested and the letter was sent to parents of students who attend it.
He also asserts that “Custodial and food service staff ensure strong sanitation practices and manage waste properly;” a claim that people familiar with the building say is not happening. Sources in the building, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, say the building’s floors are “filthy” and that “food is all over and not contained in the cafe.” They allege that the situation “is not being managed at all.”
Some said that cockroaches appeared in their classrooms for the first time the day this letter was sent home on September 30. In an interview, Girard at-Large was told the cockroaches were “running rampant” and “it’s all the kids are discussing.”
McCafferty’s statement in the letter that “we do not believe there is any present risk to the health and well being of the students of the Manchester School District,” rings hollow to many. One source wondered why he’d assert there’s no risk to students “in the district” instead of “at Hillside.” Another wondered why the city’s health department allowed the school to open in the first place and asked how the cafeteria could serve food with a known cockroach infestation and ongoing treatment.
Levasseur: Shut down in a New York Minute
Some in the building accuse the administration of lying to parents about the steps the school is taking to eliminate the cockroaches. “Kids are eating breakfast in their classrooms instead of the cafe,” Girard at Large was told. Said one person familiar with the school’s practices:
“The implication of [McCafferty’s] email is that food is contained in the cafe, which is a complete lie. Kids are eating breakfast in their classrooms and food trash is in rooms all day. It’s very problematic because food is scattered throughout the building. It’s a large part of why the building is never clean and it’s not helping the problem at all. There have to be guidelines for where food is being eaten.”
In a letter to parents announcing the infestation, Assistant Superintendent Kelly Espinola told parents it was “especially important that we work together to keep classrooms, common spaces, and cafeterias free of crumbs, food residue, and excess moisture.” Given our sources, it would seem the school’s practices are inconsistent with that admonition.
In response to an inquiry from Girard at Large, Alderman at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur, who owned and operated Joe Kelly’s and Theo’s restaurants in Manchester for thirty years, said that if a restaurant experienced a serious cockroach infestation, the health department would “shut it down in a New York minute,” until it determined the infestation was cleared. When asked about what posed a greater threat to public health, home picklers or a roach infestation, Levasseur said “the cockroaches. It’s not even close.” Levasseur continued:
Dan Mowery’s house is cockroach free but Anna Thomas won’t let him distribute his jars of pickles but you can eat the pickles served at Hillside? Make it make sense.
Chmiel: Passed report along
In response to an inquiry from Girard at Large about students eating breakfast in classrooms and the resultant food waste left throughout the building, Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel told Girard at Large “I was at Hillside earlier today and shared your report.” She has yet to respond to questions regarding McCafferty’s response to her sharing the report.
Public Health Director Anna Thomas has yet to respond to the following questions from Girard at Large regarding the cockroach infestation at Hillside:
- When was the health department made aware of the infestation. Please provide any written communication between the department, the school district and any other entity regarding the matter.
- In reviewing some of the regs, it seems to me that if this happened in a restaurant, it would be shut down until the infestation was deemed cleared by the department. Am I reading this correctly? If so, how is it that Hillside is allowed to serve food in the cafeteria?
- Also, I have reports that kids are eating breakfast in classrooms. Is that wise or does that facilitate the expansion of the problem.
Thomas: Contact the clerk
In reply to our inquiry, Thomas emailed the following, several hours after this story was originally published:
We were first notified of cockroach activity at Hillside on September 19th.
As is the standard of practice, DPW and the District were already using a NH licensed Pest Control Operator. No need to shut down the school or areas within it. The Health Department permits the Hillside kitchen, which we are actively monitoring. Regarding breakfast service in classrooms, we recommend adherence to integrated pet management principles: cleaning surfaces before and after service, promptly disposing of food and single-service items, and removing food-containing garbage immediately following each meal period.
Should you wish to obtain documentation related to this matter, a formal public records request may be submitted through the City Clerk’s Office.
After noting that Thomas did ot address the question regarding the shutdown of a restaurant similarly infested, Thomas replied, “The presence of pests in a single area of a kitchen, while concerning, does not constitute grounds for closure,” confirming that the cockroaches have invaded the school’s kitchen. Not satisfied with the narrowness of the answer, we noted the infestation throughout the building in reply, asking again if a restaurant with such an infestation would be allowed to operate. We have yet to receive a reply.
