PARENTS at a South Side school have expressed their shock after it was revealed a teacher was financially compensated following a bed bug infestation.

St Bride's Primary in Strathbungo has been fumigated five times to rid the school of the creatures, with washing machines on their way to help boil pupils' clothing.

Leaked minutes from a meeting held with staff show that a number of measures have been brought in to curb the outbreak, with no active sightings since January.

However, parents have mixed experiences of how the school has dealt with the issue, and the communication regarding the infestation.

Many, including 34-year-old Govanhillian Sana Rashid, have praised the response of the council and school.

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She added: "The school gave us lots of information, I think they have it under control. They have been very helpful.

"A meeting was even arranged for parents to discuss the problems with the school."

Other parents echoed this mood, saying they believed the school "knew what they were doing".

The sibling of one pupil, who did not wish to be named, said: "The school made us aware, they are normally very good in that regard.

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"They have told us what is going on and we are not worried. They seem to know what they are doing."

However, some parents were angered that they were just learning of the problem.

One, whose daughter only joined the school a few months ago, was concerned that they had not been made aware of the issues, given the last sighting of a bug was just one month previous.

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He added: "This is very worrying. My daughter joined the school four months ago and it was not mentioned to us at all.

"The school had warned us about wearing too many layers of clothing, but that is all. I am shocked by this and will be asking to meet with the teachers to get all the facts."

Another claimed they had no idea about the problem, adding: "I turned up at school today and saw the cameras, I didn't know anything about it.

"I shouldn't have to Google things to find out what's going on at school."

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A council spokeswoman reiterated that there had been no new sightings in the school since January, with the school communicating to parents in various languages and installing information posters.

She added:"Information, advice and a telephone number for parents who need to contact environmental protection services as well as new actions in the school to mitigate risk of any return of bed bugs has been included in each school newsletter over the last few months.

“That’s on top of the newspaper stories at the beginning of this year.”

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While some parents remained concerned about the bugs, a member of staff at the school told the Evening Times they were not worried about the possibility of picking up the creatures.

He added he had not been informed about the bed bugs by management at the school, but that this was not a concern as this was normal in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, the issue was brought up at First Ministers' Questions at Holyrood, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon quizzed on the outbreak by other Glasgow MSPs.

The only three schools in the city which have reported bed bugs, St Bride's, Annette Street Primary and Pollokshields Primary, are less than a mile apart and fall within Ms Sturgeon's Glasgow Southside constituency.

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Nicola Sturgeon challenged on Southside school bedbug infestation

Tory politician Annie Wells asked: "In my Glasgow region and the First Minister’s constituency, a school has been forced to take desperate action to eliminate a four-year bedbug infestation ordeal.

"Kids are getting rashes; pest control teams are visiting every few months; and staff have had to destroy their home furniture. First Minister, what century is this?"

The First Minister said this was "an issue in different parts of Glasgow", and that "intensive work" was being done by the council to combat the issue.

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A spokesperson for Nicola Sturgeon added: “The First Minister was seeking to acknowledge the facts of the Evening Times story, and the freedom of information request on which it was based, that identified three schools across Govanhill and Pollokshields.

"As constituency MSP she is sighted on the intensive work that is being done by the council to tackle this ongoing problem.”

Labour MSP Johann Lamont claimed cuts to Glasgow's budget were having a "direct impact" on citizen's health.

She added: "I have serious concerns about the the Scottish Government’s ongoing and disproportionate cuts to Glasgow’s budget.

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"These are now having a direct impact on the health and well-being of Glasgow’s families and communities.

"It is time for the SNP led council to stand up for Glasgow and the rights of its citizens to a clean and safe environment."