Confirmed cases of bedbugs in New York City’s public schools have severely increased in the first five months of the current school year, according to recent statistics released by the Department of Education and reported by state Senator Michael Gianaris.

The Astoria lawmaker said public schools have reported 1,700 confirmed cases from last September, when the school year began, through this past January, with 80 percent of the cases reported in November, December and January.

Compared to the previous school year’s reported 1,019 total cases, the schools now are on pace to triple the number of bedbug inflictions this academic year, Gianaris stated.

Gianaris, who wrote the Bed Bug Notification Law for the city’s public schools while he was an Assemblymember in 2007 said, “The best way to combat this sharp increase in bedbug cases is to educate parents and teachers. Children should be able to go to school and get a good education without the threat of bedbugs hindering their ability to learn.”

Gianaris’ Notification law requires that the Parent Teacher Association and all parents of potentially affected city school children receive notification from school health officials upon detection of bedbugs in their child’s school. The notification includes informational brochures that enable parents to take preventive steps and make more informed decisions regarding the health and safety of their children and families.

According to Gianaris, private homes are the primary source of bedbug infestations. He adds, however, that bedbugs travel to schools on students’ clothes and book bags. The lawmaker wants to remind parents and teachers of the importance of containing bedbug cases so that the insects do not spread further.

Gianaris reports that New York City officials pledged $500,000 to raise public awareness in an effort to fight the bedbug epidemic. He added that the Education Department’s Office of School Support Services also implemented a four-step protocol for handling potential bedbug cases in schools.—John Toscano