Bat infestation closes New Brunswick school for remainder of academic year

Tobique Valley High School in Plaster Rock, N.B., has been temporarily closed due to a bat infestation.

Students at Tobique Valley High School (TVHS) in Plaster Rock, N.B., will finish the school year in a different classroom than they have been in for the last eight months due to a bat infestation.

Anglophone West School District Superintendent David McTimoney sent a notice to parents Friday announcing the decision to temporarily close TVHS. That will result in all 134 students from Grades 6 to 12 and the 22 staff members who work at the school to be relocated for the remainder of the year.

Students in Grades 6 to 8 will move to Donald Fraser Memorial School in Plaster Rock, N.B., for the final two months. High school students will finish the semester at Southern Victoria High School in Perth-Andover, N.B. The 22 staff members will be divided up accordingly and work at the newly assigned schools.

“Since March, students and staff have been very patient and resilient when it comes to attending school in a building that bats also occupy, and the time has come when we need to investigate further and remediate the bat issue as well as provide a safe and comfortable learning and working environment for all,” McTimoney told parents in an email provided to CTV News.

“While we know that this will cause an inconvenience for students and staff at three schools, it is a step that we see as critical to get to the bottom of the serious issue at TVHS.”

The final day of regular classes at the school will be Monday, April 28, but parents have also been told that if they prefer to have students check in just to pick up any personal belongings that is also acceptable.

Crystal O’Neil, a parent of two students at the school, said Friday’s announcement came with both shock and relief.

“I’ll be so relieved that my children, as well as the other 134 children attending the school, can finally go to school and relax and not have the issues of wearing your hair up, and constantly looking up all the time,” she said. “And constantly being paranoid over being chased by bats down the hallway and having janitors running with fishing nets.”

The district had initially planned to begin remediation of the bats Monday, but elected to delay plans by a day to ensure staff and students are not in the building. McTimoney said students will not receive instruction from Tuesday, April 29 to Friday, May 2.

“May 2 was already a non-instructional day as the teachers had a provincial professional learning day scheduled with their New Brunswick Teachers’ Association” he said.

“April 28 to May 2 will serve as an important transition week where we will work on several details that will allow for a continued learning and working experience for staff and students in a safe and comfortable environment. Transportation plans will also be put in place. I expect you will hear details from your school administration, as required when information becomes available.”

Classes will resume for TVHS students on Monday, May 5 at their new schools.

In March, the district confirmed to CTV News that 13 brown bats were accounted for and removed from the building on Monday, March 17. There is no word on how many bats are in the school at this time.

The school district said bats have been an “historical issue” in the building, leading to numerous interventions and a “large remediation effort” last year.

-With files from CTV’s Nick Moore.

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