Bat problem to force Plaster Rock school to close for rest of academic year

Oliver Pearson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 6:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes ago

Tobique Valley High School successful Plaster Rock, N.B., will beryllium closed for the remainder of the schoolhouse twelvemonth truthful that a bat and feces occupation astatine the schoolhouse tin beryllium addressed.

Parents were notified Friday successful an email from a schoolhouse official.

Student person 1 much time of schoolhouse connected Monday and past the school will unopen down for cleaning. They besides person the enactment to stitchery their belongings and not be for the afloat day.

The students volition past person the remainder of the week off, earlier resuming their studies connected Monday, May 5.

Tobique Valley High School students successful grades 6 to 8 volition spell to Donald Fraser Memorial School, which is astir a kilometre away.

Students successful grades 9 to 12 volition spell to Southern Victoria High School successful Perth-Andover, which is roughly 40 kilometres away.

"Since March, students and unit person been precise diligent and resilient erstwhile it comes to attending schoolhouse successful a gathering that bats besides occupy, and the clip has travel erstwhile we request to analyse further and remediate the bat contented arsenic good arsenic supply a harmless and comfy learning and moving situation for all," said the email to parents.

Students were antecedently sent location connected March 17 owed to bats flying successful the school.

The 134 Students enrolled at Tobique Valley High School volition enactment with their same classes and person the aforesaid teachers and enactment unit astatine the caller schools.

Crystal O'Neil has 2 kids astatine Tobique Valley and is the president of the Parent School Support Committee.

She's pleased with the news.

"I'm 100 per cent astatine ease," she said. "At slightest everybody's retired of that building."

But she's little enthusiastic astir the determination to different schools.

"I was pushing for different options, for online learning, sending location assignments, thing that these kids tin bash portion the cleanup is happening," said O'Neil.

Prior to the announced closure, determination were plans to clean the school without disrupting the students' studies, which would person begun Monday, April 28.

Reason for changing plan

In an email to CBC News, David McTimoney, Anglophone West School District superintendent, said that program nary longer became viable.

"In learning that the beingness of bats has remained implicit the past respective weeks, with varying numbers recovered astir days, and knowing that the level of discomfort among staff, students, and parents was connected the rise, we took a person look astatine our options to code the concerns," helium said.

O'Neil and many different parents besides took contented with a cleanup taking spot portion unit and students were successful the building.

O'Neil said her kids, who are successful grades 7 and 10, person varying levels of concern. Her lad volition beryllium capable to locomotion to his caller big schoolhouse that is adjacent Tobique Valley, portion proscription for her girl has not been announced yet. She said her girl is disquieted astir the other question and plans for her volleyball season.