PUYALLUP, Washington — The Puyallup School District is taking steps to combat a bat infestation at Edgerton Elementary School after at least eight bats were found in the building in recent weeks.
So far, the local health department has recommended treatment for one staff member and one student who may have come into contact with the bats.
Just Thursday morning, another dead bat was found in the school’s mechanical room upstairs. District officials say it appears it has been there for a while, but they still don’t know how the bats get in.
“I’m really worried my son is going to buy one. It sounds horrible,” said Sara Sutherland, whose child goes to school in Edgerton.
For weeks, Edgerton Elementary has been dealing with a bat problem. At least eight live and dead bats have been found in different parts of the school since September 14, including in the mechanical room, the kindergarten hallway and the cafeteria/gym hallway.
“I was a little disappointed that they didn’t let parents know in advance that they had bats in their school because bats carry diseases. That makes me nervous as a parent because what would happen if a child got bitten?” said Ashley Williams, an Edgerton parent.
So far, only one staff member has come into contact with a bat.
“We recommended PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) for the staff member who had contact with a bat on September 14. We also recommended PEP for a student out of an abundance of caution after an unconfirmed report that he may have come into contact with a bat,” a Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) official told KOMO News.
“If a bat involved in an exposure is captured, we send it to the state public health laboratory for rabies testing. We do not test bats that have not come into contact with a human and have not tested any bats linked to the activity at Edgerton Elementary School,” Department of Health officials said.
Public health officials recommend that if you come into contact with a bat, immediately wash any bites or scratches and contact a health care provider to help determine any potential rabies exposure and next steps.
“I feel a little in the dark. There’s no information about the dangers our children face,” Sutherland said.
Three of the bats were found in the school’s mechanical room, which could help staff determine how they enter the building, district officials said.
For now, officials are working with pest control to seal any gaps or openings, and school staff continue to monitor for additional bats.
“But there’s still no answer. They don’t know where they’re coming from. They don’t know where they’re roosting or anything. We just have to wait until the authorities decide what to do,” Sutherland said.
A pest control service will be at the school this weekend to resolve the problem.
According to the TPCHD, the last time a bat tested positive for rabies in Pierce County was in 2017. The state has only had two cases of human rabies in the last 75 years.
Regular updates on the bat situation at Edgerton Elementary School will be posted as they become available here.
Gn Health
