The Latest:
A dead bat was located at Ardrey Kell High School one day after officials allowed students back on campus following a two-day school closure for bat eviction. Officials with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control say they responded to the school on Friday to pick up a dead bat.
Animal Care and Control says so far 21 bats removed from the school have tested negative for rabies. Read below for more details on the bat eviction.
Original Post: (Posted April 20, 2023):
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (News Release) – Ardrey Kell High School students will be back on campus on Friday, April 21, after a two-day school closure for bat eviction. Following numerous measures including bat eradication, entrance mitigation, and extensive cleaning, it has been determined that students can safely return to face-to-face learning.
This decision was made after a risk assessment of the school with the vendor and the Mecklenburg Health Department.
The vendor managing the bat eviction has been onsite and completed a thorough search of the building and removal of any bats. As of Thursday, no bats have been discovered inside or around the building. There is no evidence of a bat colony in the building.
Bats that were found in the building were sent to the state lab for rabies testing and the results were negative. Bat guano was not detected during the inspection of the school. However, as a precaution, the building is being thoroughly sanitized with green seal certified products approved by the EPA.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control Division, 17 of 21 total bats were tested. Testing is not required unless human exposure is confirmed.
Public Health confirmed one human exposure connected to this incident. No further details can be shared.
