A raccoon showing signs of rabies was shot by a responding deputy Monday, May 18, on the north playground at Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center, prompting the Pine Plains Central School District to close the play area for two days for cleaning and sanitizing, district officials said.
The raccoon was reported early Monday morning and was put down before students arrived on campus, according to district officials. No students were reported to have had contact with the animal.
“Our maintenance crew identified a raccoon that was rabid on school property,” Superintendent Brian Timm said. “Our protocol is that we reach out to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, and they send over whoever is working in the area.”
A deputy with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said the office’s protocol may include putting down suspected rabid animals with a service weapon when deputies are called to respond to a public safety concern involving wildlife.
After the raccoon was killed, district maintenance staff cleaned the playground, Timm said. The area was blocked off for 48 hours “out of precaution” because officials were not certain where the animal had been before it was found.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. It is most often spread through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, or when infected saliva comes into contact with broken skin or the eyes, nose or mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That risk is why the district said it closed and sanitized the playground as a precaution.
Principal Julie Roberts sent an email to Seymour Smith parents Monday morning explaining the closure.
Students were not scheduled to be on campus Tuesday because of a scheduled superintendent’s conference day. The playground reopened Wednesday.
Roberts told the Herald that in her 12 years as principal, there had been occasional encounters with wildlife on school grounds, including a bear rummaging through garbage and a wayward snapping turtle, but never a raccoon believed to be rabid.
Timm urged residents to avoid animals displaying unusual behavior and to contact authorities if they are concerned.
“If you happen to see animals displaying very unusual behavior, I would view that as potentially demonstrating rabid behavior,” Timm said. “And if you feel concerned, then you should contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office.”