SAN ANTONIO – A Brennan High School student was bitten by a bat that tested positive for rabies after coming into contact with the animal during school hours on Wednesday.
In a letter sent to parents on Friday, principal John Trimble said there were two incidents of bats on campus.
Northside Independent School District spokesman Barry Perez told KSAT.com that the two incidents occurred on Wednesday and Friday, and that both took place outside near the high school.
On Wednesday, three Brennan students were outside with a class when one of them found a bat and picked it up to move it to a safer location.
During that time, the student was bitten. The other students were near the area, but did not handle the rabid bat.
Perez told KSAT.com that the second incident happened Friday when someone found a dead bat and quickly notified school officials.
NISD's Health Services Supervisor, Jennifer Kruger, said that any contact with the animal is considered an exposure and those who came in contact with the bat should be evaluated to determine whether they should be treated.
Perez said as standard NISD protocol, the two captured bats were sent for testing, with the first bat testing positive for rabies. The test results for the second bat are still pending.
The district’s pest control crew was sent to the campus and found an entrance where the bats could enter the building, but did not find any bats to be inside the high school, Perez told KSAT.com.
Perez said pest control did not find any large colonies, but the district has since brought in a contractor to determine if the incidents were random and where the bats could be coming from.
Perez said the incidents serve as a reminder for parents to talk to their kids about rabid animals and how to avoid similar situations.
Anyone who has been in contact with a possibly rabid animal should call San Antonio Metro Health at 210-207-8876 or the NISD Health Services Department at 210-397-3551 during school hours.
For more information about bats and rabies, click here to view the Texas Department of State Health Services website.