Teachers at a California high school returned to their classes in preparation for the upcoming year to find the building had been taken over by rats, the Los Angeles Times reports. Schurr High School was forced to close after dead and live rats were found on the floor, in classrooms and in cupboards. Feces was found on desks and there are fears it could be in the HVAC ducts, too. “I could hear rats running around in the walls and ceiling... Other rooms right near me were completely taken over by rats,” one teacher said.

The building never opened for in-person learning last year and local officials regret not doing a more thorough job preparing the building for the fall, despite praising efforts to safely welcome students and staff. “The tragedy here is for our students who haven’t been on the site for 18 months,” said David Navar, president of the Montebello Teachers Association. “It should be a celebration, a welcoming.”