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Parents say a dead bat was mishandled; DNR and FOIA records cited at Logan County school board meeting
Summary
Two public commenters told the Logan County Board of Education a dead bat was not handled according to policy and that FOIA records and DNR contacts show state and federal agencies have been involved; they also raised questions about facility funding priorities.
At the March 24 Logan County school board meeting, two public commenters said a dead bat discovered on school property had been handled improperly, and they said they had alerted state and federal wildlife authorities and filed FOIA requests.
Goldie Belcher said a bat found at Chattenville Regional Hospital (as she described it) was not disposed of according to district, state and federal rules and that the District of Natural Resources (DNR) and state and federal authorities had not been notified. She said she has spoken with both the state and federal DNR legal staff and delivered documentation to the board.
Leslie Kelly said she obtained FOIA records showing a similar incident in October and that she provided those records to the federal DNR. "Per your outdated policies...how are you to tell me or to tell anybody in this county that a policy has been revoked or it's not been followed?" Kelly asked. Kelly also raised a funding question: she said $350,000 was being directed to a recreation center before work was done on a federally funded softball field and urged the board to explain those priorities.
No district action or formal staff report was recorded during the meeting; Superintendent Pat Joe White acknowledged the concerns and said he had fielded related conversations about procedures and would follow up through appropriate channels. The transcript includes multiple references to FOIA records and repeated requests from commenters for a clearer, documented account of how the bat incident was handled.
The commenters said they expect follow-up from the DNR; board members did not announce any enforcement action or specific corrective measure during the March 24 meeting.
