Kentucky School Set To Reopen After Bat Infestation Forced It To Close

At least one of the bats was found in classroom with 10 kids.

A Kentucky elementary school has now reopened after it was forced to close for a week due to a bat infestation.

Administrators at Wright Elementary School in Shelbyville, Kentucky, sent a letter to parents informing them that school would be closed for five days so that officials could "navigate the eviction of bats" at the school.

Bats were first reported at the school in early August, according to a press release from the North Central District Health Department.

Mitigation efforts made by the school district, local health officials and the district's pest control company were unsuccessful and as "weeks went on bats continued to be found in and around the school," the release said.

On September 6, more bats were discovered including a bat inside a classroom with ten children and the health department mandated that the elementary school - and the gym at the nearby high school - close.

A wildlife control operator visited the school to determine whether or not any further bat abatement efforts are warranted and concluded all necessary efforts had been implemented.

The state inspection also determined that the bats captured from both schools were not infected with rabies and that no bats had been discovered for 48 hours, meaning the school is cleared to reopen.

The gym at the Shelby County High School will remain closed since four bats are still inside.

Twelve bats have been captured alive between the two school and all have tested negative for rabies, according to the health department's release.

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