A New Hampshire elementary school was closed for inspection after hundreds of large bats were found hibernating in the building, forcing staff to avoid the flying pests.
Richards Elementary School in Newport was closed Monday after staff began falling ill from the contagion.
Newport School District Superintendent Donna Magoon shared WMUR that hundreds of ‘big’ bats have been discovered at the school.
“They were hiding in poles, they were hanging from the ceiling, they were everywhere,” she said.
“I think people think they’re little, little black bats. That’s not it! It’s huge,” she added.
Magoon added that the situation was worse than some might have thought.
‘People say ‘it’s just a bat’, but bats transmit rabies,’ she said Valley News. ‘When you work with young children, [you know] when they see a bat, they try to touch it.”
The discovery came after staff illnesses prompted air quality testing, Magoon told WMUR.
“There’s no mold or anything like that in our air, so what else could it be,” she said.
The New Hampshire Department of Education said in a statement that it “is aware of the situation… and has been in communication with its school leaders.”
“NHED will continue to correspond with school officials to ensure students have a safe and healthy place to learn and that the bat infestation is adequately resolved,” it wrote.
Hundreds of ‘huge’ bats have been found hibernating at Richards Elementary School in Newport, New Hampshire
‘People say ‘it’s just a bat’, but bats carry rabies. If you work with young children, [you know] if they see a bat, they will try to touch it,” said Superintendent Donna Magoon
Richards Elementary School was closed Monday for an inspection after staff began getting sick
School officials said they became aware of the problem in mid-December, but action was only taken after a staff member had to dive several times because a bat flew overhead.
“When it landed on her, she almost had to fall to the ground,” Magoon told WMUR.
An inspection carried out by Monadnock Pest and Wildlife Services found the bats and how they entered the school.
Magoon said the school is still waiting for test results.
“Fish and Game told me [the bats] are a protected species, it’s not like you can kill them,” she said.
A notice on Facebook Posted by Magoon on Monday stated that the bats entered the building “through small holes in ceiling tiles and other holes around pipes.” She noted that the “facilities team worked diligently to seal all holes/holes in the ceiling tiles and all gaps around pipes in the problem areas.”
The statement added that no bats were observed during the inspection due to their nocturnal nature and the small spaces where they hibernated.
“To proactively address this issue, we will contract with someone to look for signs of bat movement. This will happen approximately every two weeks,” she explained. “Our facilities team will also conduct inspections to ensure that all ceiling tiles remain intact and that any damaged tiles are replaced or repaired immediately.”
“The bats have found their way into the occupied area of the building through small holes in ceiling tiles and other gaps around the pipes,” Magoon said, noting that the “facilities team has worked diligently to close all holes/holes in the ceiling tiles close. and any openings around pipes in the areas of concern.”
“I won’t let anyone into the building until I’m sure it’s safe. Now I know there is a problem, now I have to deal with it,” Magoon said. “If anyone ever got hurt, that wouldn’t be OK. I would be devastated.”
The school also contacted New Hampshire Health and Human Services, Infectious Disease Control, the Newport Health Inspector and New Hampshire Fish and Game.
“Rest assured that the health and safety of our staff and students remains my top priority,” Magoon said. ‘I will always err on the side of caution to ensure a safe learning environment.’
The school reopened on Tuesday after holes in the tile ceilings and pipes were patched. The bat release process is expected to take place in March.
“Now I know there is a problem, now I have to deal with it,” she said. “If anyone ever got hurt, that wouldn’t be OK. I’d be devastated.’