CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At least 20 bats were found inside Ardrey Kell High School, according to officials with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system.
The school decided to switch students to asynchronous learning on April 19 and 20 while it worked to fix the issue.
Students will return to campus on April 21 following "numerous measures including bat eradication, mitigation to close potential spaces that bats could enter the school, and extensive cleaning" as well as an assessment of the school.
CMS Chief Operations Officer Brian Schultz said the problem started in March, but this week they found more bats. CMS said on Thursday that additional remediation was put in multiple locations to stop any further intrusions.
"Closed off an opening actually in the roof, and thought at that point and time we had remediated the situation," Schultz said. "They're small. They're in an area where we have rapid growth. The bats are looking for homes."
He says CMPD Animal Care & Control and a private pest control vendor were on-site to help with bat removal. Bats were also sent to a lab for rabies testing.
There is currently no evidence of disease in the bats or reports of bats harming students and staff. CMS said bats found in the b building were sent to the state lab for rabies testing, and the results from these bats have been negative.
Thursday, CMS said there was no evidence of a bat colony in the building. The entire roofline at the school will be sealed as an additional step over the next two weekends. Additionally, the building is being thoroughly sanitized as a precaution.
Still, it's been an unusual sight for students like Mark Lynch.
“I saw the bats and I thought they were like fake at first, but everybody was screaming," Lynch said. "They're like hanging up on the wall."
It's not uncommon to see bats this time of year, according to two wildlife experts, who tell WCNC Charlotte the mammals help get rid of pests like mosquitos.
"Bats are an integral part of the ecology, especially in this region," Chris Shomo with A-1 Wildlife Control said. "If you have an issue in your home, you want to call a professional."
David Crowe with Critter Control adds that bats have legal protections in North Carolina that can add to the challenge of removal.
"So, any bat work, exclusion, ceiling up gaps, should occur between now and the first of May, because once they have babies, everything halts," Crowe said.
WCNC Charlotte learned one bat scratched a student Tuesday, and the health department told that student to make sure to get a rabies shot.
Families with questions are asked to contact the front office of the school.
"Knowing that the school is doing something about it, does kind of put my faith in the school a little more," Will Nurse, a student, said.
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