To the Batmobile

The kids came home from school with a letter from the principal. It was one of those warning letters that something had happened to another child at another school in the district. Usually, the letters are about lice or chickenpox or something like that. Warrants attention but nothing out of the ordinary.

The letter this time was bizarre. Well, not the letter, but what she was talking about. On Monday, a child at another school discovered a live bat on the playgroung at recess. She had poked the bat with a pencil in an attempt to free the creature. Later, it was found to be positive for rabies. Not the child but the bat. As a result, that student must undergo preventative treatment which involves injections over a period of several weeks. OUCH and OH NO!

A BAT ON THE PLAYGROUND??? Is this just crazy. We live in Southern California not Transylvania. Ok, I am exaggerating. I do know that creatures of all types - even bats- can show up just about anywhere, especially one in distress and has lost it's bearings, ie.. a rabid bat. But wow. A bat?? Creepy.

The LB Department of Health and Human Services offers all kinds of advice to help prevent the risk of exposure to rabies. I won't list them all but one of them struck me as nuts. "Consider "bat-proofing" your home." I must say that I have never considered this and I will take it to heart. I can just see Jack trying to fend off a bat with his funky cone on his head. He wouldn't have a chance.