Student finds dead rodent in cafeteria of prestigious private school in Broward County

DAVIE, Fla. – The NSU University School, a prestigious private school in Davie, closed the on-campus cafeteria on Friday after students found a dead rodent during lunch hour on Thursday.

The dead rodent was spotted in a trap behind a self-service style buffet. The incident was caught on camera and sent to Local 10 News Investigator Jeff Weinsier. School administrators shut down the cafeteria as a precaution.

“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we immediately took action and removed the pest control trap. Further inspection of the area indicated that this was an isolated incident. The area was immediately cleaned and, in an abundance of caution, we closed the Upper School dining facility for deep cleaning,” wrote William Kopas, the head of the NSU University School.

University School, or the U-School as it’s known in the community, is on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. Teachers escorted the Upper-School students across campus to a food court for lunch on Friday.

“The dining facilities have regular pest control inspections as part of our proactive approach to a nuisance that is ever-present in South Florida," Kopas wrote in a statement.

Kopas’ statement doesn’t say why the trap was placed behind the buffet in the first place. According to state records, the Upper School’s dining facilities received satisfactory inspections in August, September and November 2019. The facility hasn’t been inspected in 2020.

The Florida Department of Health is aware of this incident and we are waiting to hear if they sent an inspector to the school today.


About the Author:

Jeff Weinsier joined Local 10 News in September 1994. He is currently an investigative reporter for Local 10. He is also responsible for the very popular Dirty Dining segments.