Students were heard screaming in the hallway on the morning of Oct. 27, but it wasn’t an emergency. Just another pigeon. 

BHS  has had a problem with birds getting into the building for years, even as maintenance staff has been working hard to find where the birds are entering in order to prevent them from getting in.

“We have put wire mesh all around the perimeter of the building to make sure the birds couldn’t come in,” Beachwood’s Director of Operations Neil Bennett said. “We also pay roofers to come out and look to see where they are coming in from.”

The problem seems to have been more frequent in the past few weeks, likely as some birds seek out nests as temperatures drop in the fall, according to Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control.  

Birds may be nesting in vents or cracks in the building, and the high school’s big glass windows may be attractive to birds, which can also lead to collisions.

Teachers have also had to deal with birds in their classrooms.

Social studies teacher Dominic Velotta, English teacher Evan Luzar and social studies teacher Felecia Hamilton have all had birds fly into their classrooms. 

“It took me close to 20 minutes to coax him out of my window,” Velotta said.

Librarian Angela Maxwell has witnessed many birds in the library.

“At least 20 birds in the last 10 years have flown into the hallway by my room,” Maxwell said. “Every year we have had multiple birds fly into the library.”

Staff have tried a number of different approaches to removing birds safely from the building.

Bennett explained how to properly handle it.

“The best way is to gently get them out.” Bennett stated. “It’s a team effort where everybody scares them out. 

Velotta described the approach that he and social studies teacher Missy Buddenhagen took.

“This is a very tricky endeavor,” Velotta said. “Mrs. Buddenhagen and I took 15 minutes to coax one down with a broomstick and let him out by the Art room.”

“If the birds are in the library actively flying we try to open windows to let them out,” Maxwell said. “You should remain calm and give the bird space.” 

Principal Paul Chase is satisfied that maintenance staff is working hard to fix the problem.

“Over the summer various work was conducted on potential entrance points near the roof,” he said.

“The maintenance people are trying to handle it,” Maxwell said. “But it could be way worse.”

Bennett and the maintenance staff are now putting a second layer of wire mesh around the building.

“We can get on a lift and check the entrance points there,” he said.

Bennett acknowledged that the birds can be a nuisance. 

“It’s becoming a little bit stressful now because they make a mess,” he said.

Velotta feels sympathy for the birds. 

“They must be really stressed out when they get trapped inside,” he said.

Birds can also cause harm to themselves and people around them.

“Many of them will fly directly into the windows and damage their beaks,” Velotta stated. “This could potentially be deadly if they freak out.”

Bennett is also worried that people could get hurt.

“I’ve heard reports of them sometimes diving on people,” he said. “I don’t want to see any students, teachers or staff get hurt.”

Bennett says his staff has been able to remove the birds from the building.

“To my knowledge, the birds are not dying in the building,” he said. “Our team is effectively removing them.”

There are also a couple different types of birds that have been spotted in the building.

“Sparrows are usually the ones that fly into the building,” Maxwell said. 

More recently, students and staff have reported seeing pigeons.