Middle Country moves up tick treatment at Selden, Centereach schools

Parents at the Bicycle Path Pre-K/Kindergarten Center in Selden and the Unity Drive Kindergarten Center in Centereach pushed Middle Country to move up tick treatment after children came home with ticks following outdoor time.

The district began spraying at the kindergarten buildings first, then planned to move through the elementary schools and secondary schools in stages, superintendent Michael Gerold said. News 12 Long Island reported that the first round of treatment was set to start Tuesday at Unity Drive and Bicycle Path before expanding to the rest of the district, a response that came after families complained about the problem at the two campuses.

Leigh Mizveski, whose 5-year-old attends pre-K at Bicycle Path, said the family had been doing tick checks every day. “I have a 5-year-old who likes to play outside, and we have to do tick checks every day,” Mizveski said. She also said it was surprising that the school had to be alerted to the problem, underscoring how quickly the issue became a daily concern for families with young children spending time outdoors in areas near woods.

The complaints landed in a broader public-health moment on Long Island and across New York State. The New York State Department of Health warned April 30 that tick bites can transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other illnesses, and said the state averaged more than 17,500 new Lyme disease cases a year over the last three years, with nearly 19,000 reported in 2024 alone. Suffolk County health officials say ticks can also spread ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Powassan virus, and state surveillance data shows tick populations and tick-borne diseases continuing to rise.

The district’s decision to speed up treatment showed how quickly a school facilities issue can become a child-safety problem for suburban campuses built close to wooded land. For parents at Bicycle Path and Unity Drive, the immediate question is whether outdoor play can resume with less worry, and whether daily tick checks at home will become the norm for the rest of the season.