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At least some of the Halloween decorations are alive at one Washington elementary school – but officials still can't figure out how the bats keep getting inside.
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bats → log → school
Eight bats have been found at Edgerton Elementary School in Puyallup, about 10 miles southeast of Tacoma, over 17 days.
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bats → find → days
The latest was a dead one found Thursday in a mechanical room by district maintenance staff, according to the Puyallup School District's Bat Activity Tracker.
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latest → find → Tracker
“Based on its condition, it appeared to have been there for some time,” a Puyallup School District spokesperson told The Independent Thursday.
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spokesperson → base → time
“This is the third bat that has been found in the mechanical room, and that pattern is helping inform where our investigation and mitigation efforts are currently focused.”
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efforts → find → room
No human contact was reported in Thursday’s encounter, and the bat was disposed of under established protocols, the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → report → protocols
Health Services is consulting with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department as a precaution.
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Services → consult → precaution
Pest-control professionals will begin exclusion work at the school over the weekend, focusing first on the building’s exterior near the mechanical room to identify and seal potential entry points.
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professionals → begin → points
The work may take multiple visits, the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → take → visits
So far, repeated inspections have found no evidence that the bats are roosting inside the school, its website states.
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website → repeat → school
The first incident was reported September 14, when teachers found two live bats in a downstairs hallway near the cafeteria and gym.
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teachers → report → cafeteria
One staff member had potential contact with a bat, prompting Health Services to consult with the local health department and recommend medical attention, officials said.
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officials → have → attention
Three days later, on September 17, a teacher spotted another live bat in the downstairs main hallway before classes began.
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classes → spot → hallway
Then, on September 23, a night-shift custodian found two more live creatures in the downstairs kindergarten hallway.
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custodian → find → hallway
Both were safely contained and removed, according to the district.
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Both → contain → district
The two other latest incidents occurred in the upstairs mechanical area.
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incidents → occur → area
On September 28, a live bat was found underneath the door to a mechanical room.
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bat → find → room
The following day, officials discovered a dead animal inside the upstairs mechanical room.
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officials → discover → room
An added obstacle to this problem is that Washington classifies all bat species as protected wildlife, meaning there are rules governing how they can be handled, according to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
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they → add → Fish
The school district can, however, safely remove bats found inside the school and is working to address the activity without violating state wildlife protections.
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district → remove → protections
Students and staff are being told not to touch or attempt to capture a bat if they see one.
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they → tell → one
Instead, they should leave the area and immediately notify a teacher, administrator or other school employee so the animal can be handled appropriately.
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animal → leave → teacher
If a child physically comes into contact with a bat, parents are advised to contact the child's healthcare provider and notify the school and district Health Services immediately.
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parents → come → school
Health officials can assess the circumstances and determine whether additional medical follow-up is needed.
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up → assess → circumstances
Human rabies cases are extremely rare in Washington, with just two identified in the past 75 years, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
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two → identify → Health
Both were linked to the bat rabies virus.
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Both → link → virus
In 1995, a 4-year-old child died of rabies four weeks after a bat was found in her bedroom.
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bat → die → bedroom
Two years later, in 1997, a 64-year-old man also died of rabies, though the source of his exposure was unknown.
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source → die → exposure
The Independent has contacted the Puyallup School District for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
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