NEPHI, Utah — Juab High School in the city of Nephi canceled in-person classes on Wednesday to further deal with a bat problem in the building.
The Juab School District said this is being done "out of an abundance of caution." All classes were held virtually.
"This will allow the JHS campus to be empty so the professional wildlife mitigation workers can move freely and inspect all areas of the building for bats," the district's announcement read.
Last week, the high school had to move classes and cancel activities that were held in the gym or neighboring classrooms due to the bats' presence.
The district confirmed Wednesday evening that students will return in-person on Thursday, and the school gym will re-open on Monday.
Juab School District Superintendent Kodey Hughes said faculty and staff noticed the bats after Labor Day weekend. They said the occasional single bat wouldn't be anything to worry about, but they grew concerned once there were at least three.
"We held one event in that gymnasium, and we actually had some bats that were flying around during the event," Hughes said. "We decided at that point time, we've got to shut this portion of the building down. Closed off the gymnasium, closed off the hallway connecting to that, and just started to make contacts with DWR."
According to Dallin Bainum the company Critter Removers, the bats in the school are a colony-type species, and he estimated that there are hundreds of them.
Hughes added that it's bat migration season, and the animals tend to look for a high point in a structure that's dark and secluded.
To safely and humanely get rid of the bats, they use a method called "exclusion." They seal off any areas where bats could get in from the outside. Then, they install a valve where the bats can get out to go feed — but they can't get back in.
"Kind of like a homing pigeon, they'll come back to the same spot over and over — until they realize they can't get in, and then they'll find a new spot together," Bainum said.
"Something to keep in mind about bats is they don't want to be around us more than we want them to be around us," he added. "If you do see a bat, just... leave it alone."
