Orem's Cherry Hill Elementary School has encountered an unusual interruption to the usual hum of learning: a bat infestation. Students were switched to remote learning for Thursday and Friday as the issue was addressed. School officials have recruited a licensed wildlife management company to work alongside the Alpine School District facilities team to remove the bats and ensure the building's safety.
The discovery of bats earlier in the week prompted these measures, and while the specifics on how many bats are present have not been divulged, initial sightings included a dead bat on the playground. In further examinations, living bats were also found within the building. "We don't know how many. There's been reports that there's 20-30 bats in the building, and they did find where they were nesting," Alpine School District spokesperson Rich Stowell told FOX13.
Efforts to keep the disruption to a minimum included the provision of grab-and-go lunches, available through the side door of the cafeteria. Assistant Principal Tiffany Hone assured that "We will provide updates as they become available," as obtained by ABC4. Additionally, amid ongoing removal efforts, the school's administration has postponed a family movie night that was planned to feature the live-action version of "How to Train Your Dragon." School officials humorously noted on social media, "Even Toothless doesn't get along with (bats)," as reported by KUTV.
