NEWPORT — A Richards School employee found a bat in the staff room at Richards School Thursday morning, a couple weeks after the Newport elementary school closed for a day to allow for an inspection of the facility for the winged mammals.

“At no point was the bat near any students,” Newport School District Superintendent Donna Magoon wrote in a message to families that was also posted to the district’s Facebook page. “We have identified how the bat entered the school and have taken steps to secure the area to prevent further occurrences.”

After Thursday’s discovery, the bat was brought to Wings of Wildlife Rehabilitation in Henniker, N.H., Magoon said. 

Last month, wildlife inspectors discovered hundreds of big brown bats hibernating in Richards School’s attic. The district’s plans call for installing one-way doors in the attic in March so that when the bats emerge from hibernation, they can fly out of the school — but not return.

“Please know, we are doing our best to secure all open areas of the school,” Magoon wrote, adding that district is continuing to work with the New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game and Newport Health Department, as well as other wildlife companies, to monitor the situation. “This is an older building and bats can fit through the tiniest spaces.”