DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – Since the Douglas County School District’s initial announcement on August 5, when it closed their District office building due to a bat infestation, the situation in the building has changed. The bats have been identified as Mexican Freetail bats, a protected species according to the District.
Removal efforts must follow a regulated exclusion process and cannot begin until fall. Additionally, a colony of honeybees (also protected, the District said) was discovered on the property and must be safely removed before other remediation steps can begin.
Air quality testing is underway. Phase one results showed no signs of mold. Additional testing is in progress, and results are expected soon. They also tested one of the bats for rabies, and the result came back negative. While this is a good sign, it does not completely rule out the possibility that other bats could carry rabies.
All District Office departments have successfully relocated to temporary spaces across the district. Please contact District Office staff by phone or email as needed. They said they will continue to work closely with their insurance provider, state officials, and other public agencies to ensure all actions follow Nevada regulations. A more definitive timeline for returning to the District Office will be available once the bee and bat removals are completed.
Due to an abundance of caution, the dog park on County Road and the playground and basketball court on Mono Avenue were also closed.
Temporary Department Relocations
To maintain operations, the following departments have been relocated:
Gardnerville Elementary School
1290 Toler Ave, Gardnerville, NV
Superintendent, Business Services, Human Resources, Accounts, Grants, AGPM, and Front Desk
Heritage Building
1290 Toler Ave, Gardnerville, NV
Education Services, Inclusive Education, and Communications
Updates will be posted at www.dcsd.net.