Get Schooled

By Lee

April 6, 2007 9:18 AM | Link to this

The first question in my mind when I read this story was “I wonder how many kids of illegal aliens are attending this school?”

These lawbreakers are entering our country without the requisite health screenings or vaccinations. It is documented that there have been cases of tuberculosis, polio, and other diseases which had been eradicated in this country over 50 years ago, due primarily to the influx of illegal immigration.

Of course, if it is determined that the cause of these outbreaks are the result of some illegal alien’s kid, you’ll never read about in the PC AJC.

By HS Teacher Too

April 6, 2007 9:53 AM | Link to this

Lee,

You lost me here. It seems to me that regardless of whether the kids are here legally, they can not, by law, attend school without the required vaccinations. So what does alien status have to do with that?

By all means, if I am missing something, fill me in …

By mm

April 6, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

Let’s be clear. There is no “other kind of school safety”. There is only one kind of school safety that really matters. Let’s put the focus where it should be. The very rare incident happening at FP,while noteworthy, is not something I will lose sleep over. It is happening in ONE school. However, what is happening in MANY schools across this nation is a lack of the “other kind of school safety”. This kind of “school safety” is a huge deal. Why don’t we spend as much time worrying about what is more likely to cause a problem to children in school today. That would be NO DISCIPLINE in schools. Students who, at a minimum, harass each other and their teachers verbally, and at their worst, shoot them down. Day in and day out of aggressive, loud, obnoxious, disruptive, lewd, and often violent behavior doesn’t get as much coverage as this rash has gotten. I am sure I might feel differently if this turns out to be something very serious…but for now, I am more concerned about a lack of discipline in our schools (and I don’t mean from the teachers, whose hands are often tied). And… I know this topic has been discussed many times but I could not help myself when I read a blog about this rash.

By Jeff

April 6, 2007 10:17 AM | Link to this

Easiest way to go about a localized bio-terror attack? Release a bio-toxin (or even a persistent chem one) in a school. If you target it right (re: release into high schools), the toxin will spread through the entire school system (all schools use the same buses, even if the HS kids aren’t on it at the same time as the ES kids). Kids’ immune systems are more likely to be compromised more easily, and in the case of multiple-kid families you now have multiple chances to infect the parents. At this point, it is all a function of how active each parent is and how active they allow their children to be. Anywhere in the community children gather is a new breeding ground for your bio-toxin, and yet another site that will have to be thoroughly decontaminated.

Talk about a nightmare scenario!

What can be done about it? Same as with school violence: while preserving “freedom” for students, very little. Give up on the idea that students have any rights, and the above scenario could be contained quite well.

By Lisa B.

April 6, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this

Lee,

I was stunned recently to learn a friend of mine has tuberculosis. She has not traveled out of the country. Her physician feels the only possible link is that she is a hotel manager and may have been exposed by contact with construction workers doing some remodeling at the hotel. Many of the workers are illegals.

Children must be vaccinated to enroll in school. However, there is no law that I know of about parents.

I must agree with mm that lack of discipline is a bigger threat. Short of kicking rule breakers out of school, I don’t know how to fix that one.

Sick buildings are also an issue. My building is more than 50 years old, and hasn’t been well maintained. The walls haven’t even been painted in the ten years I have been there. I am sure we have mold, and Lord knows what else. At least our heating and air conditioning units are seperate for each classroom, and the filters are changed often.

By catlady

April 6, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this

I worry about our “present at any cost” policy. Because we use attendance to satisfy part of AYP (not to mention SACS, Title I) we don’t send home kids that come to school sick, or those who become sick at school. As a result, we have WAAYY too much illness going around, and around, and around. As an somewhat immunocompromised adult, I have a hard time with keeping/allowing sick kids to stay at school to boost AYP or to pander to their working parents. God help us if bird flu ever hits, because it would be all over for our school system before anyone recognized that it had arrived!

By mm

April 6, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this

Okay,after reading Jeff and HS TeacherToo…maybe I take that back about not being concerned about it!! Still, not that likely (?), or maybe it is more likely than I would like to consider!

By Lisa B.

April 6, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

Catlady,

You are exactly right about how much more sickness we have at school now because of strict attendance policies. I have literally had at LEAST two sick children in my class every single day since October. They come to school sick, and we keep them until 11:15 so they won’t be counted absent when parents come to get them. During preplanning last August, the superintendent fussed at teachers during the general meeting about attendance. We had a FLU outbreak last year! It was probably more severe than it would have been, had parents felt free to keep sick kids at home without teachers calling to harrass them.

Teachers go to school sick too, which doesn’t help.

By Zoe

April 6, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this

I constantly have to request that my HVAC unit be cleaned out. It is on the ceiling and there is a HUGE amount of dust on the grates.

Sick schools are more common than you think. There was a story in the NEA monthly a couple months ago about a school with toxic mold. Apparently the school hadn’t done the maintenence it needed to do over the years and when they returned in the fall, teachers were given a hour to clear out what they could and the school was closed for months.

Too often maintenence is deferred in these buildings. I have leaks in my classroom that I have reported time after time, for the past 3 years- the leak was never fixed after a schoolwide renovation. Where do you think mold comes from? Leaks in the roofs- many schools have the flat tar roofs that do little to keep water out. I’ve noticed the new schools in our county are being built with steel, pitched roofs- a much better design.

By luvs2teach

April 6, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this

Everybody brought up some good points so far…

Lee and HST2, while the students do need to have immunizations (or a waiver) to be enrolled, TB is not an immunization - it is a test to see if you’ve been exposed - it also requires a return visit, and I don’t think a clear TB skin test is required for admission (it’s been awhile, but I just remember my kids needed the usual DPT, polio, and MMR - they may have added HiB, chickenpox, and Hep since then). There are also diseases for which we have no test or vaccine.

cat - absolutely - the attendance issue ends up creating breeding grounds for disease - we’ve had two bouts of strep and 2 stomach viruses go through my school this year, in large part because our push for improving attendance has worked! The other, more dangerous flip-side to that is the number of parents who pop an advil into their still-very-sick child and send them off to school so they are not home alone. The medicine wears off, the child is too miserable to learn, parents can’t get off work to come get them, and meanwhile they are sharing their diseases - I tell my kids “Sharing is good, sharng your germs is not.”

I also have found, in talking with my kids and their parents, that many people believe these OTC medications cure their illness - that absences of symptoms means they are better. Maybe we need a real public safety campaign on that one! (yeah, the drug companies would love that…)

Jeff and mm - you are both correct in talking about the “other” kind of school safety - that’s just not as interesting though unless someone gets really hurt.

Finally - there is no real way to know if this was caused by the building or by a person - either way, it’s concerning. With all we have learned about “sick building syndrome” parents might want to check out the building their kids call home for 8 hours a day. They also need to discuss basic health issues like hand-washing with thier kids. I know my older school is definitely a dust and possibly a mold haven. I am the queen of clean in my room though.

By Dekalb educator

April 6, 2007 11:20 AM | Link to this

Children can attend school without vaccinations. All that is needed is a waiver. Trust me….I know.

By Ernest

April 6, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this

Zoe brings up a GREAT point that I understand is happening with school systems around the country. Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budgets are being reduced significantly. This includes personnel and materials. It’s fair for stakeholders to ask how often various maintenance activities are performed at a school, such as cleaning the HVAC, disinfecting restrooms, testing air quality, etc.

At the same time we should remember there is a cost for everything. Where do we find the money for this, if what I understand is true.

By Jim in Marietta

April 6, 2007 11:36 AM | Link to this

You don’t have to be immunized to go to public school in GA. However, you won’t get into a GA college with out immunization.

TITLE 20. EDUCATION CHAPTER 2. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ARTICLE 16. STUDENTS PART 3. HEALTH

§ 20-2-771. Immunization of students

(e) This Code section shall not apply to a child whose parent or legal guardian objects to immunization of the child on the grounds that the immunization conflicts with the religious beliefs of the parent or guardian; however, the immunization may be required in cases when such disease is in epidemic stages. For a child to be exempt from immunization on religious grounds, the parent or guardian must first furnish the responsible official of the school or facility an affidavit in which the parent or guardian swears or affirms that the immunization required conflicts with the religious beliefs of the parent or guardian.

By Lisa B.

April 6, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this

Well, the new 65% law didn’t help. Now 65% of system budgets must be spent in the classroom. That doesn’t include maintenance. So techically, I can get books quicker than I can get mold removed. My school also has bats in the ceiling. In hot weather, the guano smell is quite overwhelming. We’ve been told though, that the bats can’t get out of the ceiling into the building, and that spores from the guano cannot get into the air. The bats are protected and cannot be exterminated. Removal procedures are incredibly expensive. Basically, we just don’t talk about the bats anymore.

Yet the Austerity Cuts continue.

By luvs2teach

April 6, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

jim in marietta - it’s not just religios reasons either - I had some friends who were hard-core new-age health nuts - the husband was a student at Life. Not only would they not even take an aspirin, they also would not get their children immunized. They got waivers to enroll their children in school.

There is relatively new line of thinking (mainly in alternative health circles) that immnuizations are bad and that they are causes of many of the rises in childhood problems such as asthma and autism.

As we get more vaccines (like Guardisil - not sure I want my daughter required to get something that new), I think this is an issue we will be seeing and hearing more about.

By HS Teacher Too

April 6, 2007 11:54 AM | Link to this

Thanks to everyone who clarified the immunization requirements … it was an honest question.

By EM

April 6, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this

The mold in our schools is a huge problem. I am not talking about old buildings either. I never had strep throat until I went to work for a county just east of Gwinnett. I have had it several times in the last 2 years. Faculty and staff here have been warned against speaking to the media about this. The administration actually put up a notice about this right next to our shiny new biometric timeclock.

By SET

April 6, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this

Remember people - this all goes back to the mission statement of these public schools. Look how things have changed since 1960. Pay attention to how the public schools behave and not to what they say they are all about.

Generations ago there were school nurses who were quite up on infectious disease (among other things). Not only have we pretty well eliminated both the registered nurses in the schools - even the monster sized high schools - but we have flooded the urban schools with 3rd world illegal aliens and their children. Let me tell you they have some really interesting pathogens to share.

But we won’t take any measures to either educate the staff or test the students (until somebody winds up in ICU) because that’s not politically correct. Even if this particular case is just a run of the mill pathogen there is no trained and experienced RN on the scene. There used to be.

Have you heard what the kill rate is for Drug Resistant TB? It’s coming in from the 3rd world…

Another factor for Mr. Liberty to consider in his homeschool posts..

Brave New World.

By mm

April 6, 2007 12:30 PM | Link to this

Lisa B…the bats are protected and can not be exterminated? Has anyone told you guys what that means exactly? Very strange. Sounds like par for the course though.

By Lisa B.

April 6, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this

MM,

I principal told us the bats can’t be killed, but must be removed and relocated. I am sure the exterminator would prefer to move the bats as his company will charge my school thousands of dollars to do it.

It doesn’t matter. We’re getting a new school in 5-6 years, so no money will be spent on my current school.

I think the bats are safe.

By Lisa B.

April 6, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this

SET,

That’s a very scary scenario! For the life of me, I cannot understand why those in power don’t wish to control immigration. I realize its an economic issue, but our lawmakers seem to be blind to the consequences.

Hopefully my 13-year-old will be out of school before it gets bad here. I feel very sorry for our grandchildren. We’re not leaving them a very nice legacy.

In my school, we’re very lucky to still have a full-time RN. As budget cuts continue, who knows how long that will last!

By Tony

April 6, 2007 2:09 PM | Link to this

There’s too much bad science being offered in today’s posts. First, strep is a bacterial infection. It is not and can not be caused by mold or mildew. Good hygiene is the best defense against such infections.

About five years ago in a school where I worked, people were concerned the HVAC system was contaminated with all manner of biological pathogens. The unit died and all rooms received individual units. When the ductwork was removed, it was clean as a whistle! No mold, mildew, bacteria, lead dust, or anything that would do harm to humans.

A teacher reported to me recently that she had used a kit to test for mold in her room. She shared with me that the results indicated trace amounts of a variety of molds but none were pathogenic. Most were trace amounts that came inside with the kids from recess. When we see evidence of mold, we treat the area agressively and quickly.

The other thing that amazes me in today’s posts is how quickly people have decided to fix blame on illegal immigrants. Where’s the science to back that up?

By thomas

April 6, 2007 2:56 PM | Link to this

The thought that crossed my mind was that perhaps a student with a contagious fungus caused this outbreak at Forest Park Middle. Forest Park Middle is an immigrant revolving door. The school is made up mostly of Hispanic, Asians, and blacks. More Mexican/Central American than anything thing else.

We know for a fact that students cross the border and are immediately allowed to enter our schools. THIS IS A FACT. My most recent new student (I teach at a school that is 65% Hispanic) came to my class having been in the country 15 days. We barely verify the residency status of known Americans, much less possible illegals. Who knows what the hll happened down there in Forest Park. Hll even school officials thought that a student who touching a stray dog or “itching powder” brought into the school as a prank could be a possible cause for the outbreak.

I don’t believe that the school building itself was the cause of the outbreak. They just gutted that entire school for renovations a few years ago. Almost new everything (cellings, carpet, HVAC, etc.). I’m going with the airborne/surface fungi theory. Hey, it’s plausible.

By Jim in Marietta

April 6, 2007 3:45 PM | Link to this

Mold is very real indoor contaminant and will grow due to water leaks, damage, and high humidity. It may cause strong allergic reactions in some individuals if exposed to it in high concentrations or for extended periods of time.

By luvs2teach

April 6, 2007 4:14 PM | Link to this

Tony - I mentioned strep, but I never said it was caused by mold - I said it spread through my school because infected kids were coming to school and spreading it. It was made worse, becuase several of my students’ parents thought they it was cured when the symptoms were gone - OTC symptom relievers are not anti-biotics, and don’t cure, just relieve. You need to be on anti-biotics at least 24 hours before you can come back to school.

The stomach virus was just that - a virus, and so had no cure.

It would be great if my kids chose to “say hi to hygiene” but their hygienic habits are disgusting - I teach 8th graders who regularly share combs, hats, make-up (including lipstick/gloss - GROSS), and lick food off their unwashed hands - despite my many lectures about such things!

Parents - teach your kids the best you can because other kids are out there willing to share all their little microbes! I always supplied my personal children with their own tissues and hand sanitizer.

When I say mold, I’m not talking about air ducts - I’m talking about black patches on the walls and celing tiles from moisture and leaks. I have a diagnosed allergy to mold, so for me, it is a very real problem. It’s also a very real problem for my asthmatic kids.

Finally, I’m not blaming anyone, but illegal immigration and disease is enough of a public health concern that the CDC has a program called the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance.

By SET

April 6, 2007 4:29 PM | Link to this

Lisa B.: Congress has decided to flood the USA with 3rd world people because they are replacing the population with new people more to their liking.

There are no accidents.. especially on this scale.

Once upon a time no one was allowed to enroll in a public school without a physical exam - and certifications of immunization. I suppose the public schools thought that wasn’t politically correct either and recinded those requirements.

I do wish the school RNs were brought back. At least in every High School. At least someone on hand could explain all the Rx’s, Dx’s, and disorders to the teachers…If the kids ever dropped their pills who could figure out what was what other than the kids?

By jim d

April 9, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this

OH HORSEFEATHERS!!

It is not some diabolical plot to rid the world of middle class america. It is all about the money. Schools simply encourage students to come sick or not because they might loose a bit of funding.

It really is that simple.

By Lisa B.

April 9, 2007 6:08 PM | Link to this

Jim D,

AND schools must have a set level of attendance to make AYP.

By SET

April 11, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this

Jim D: I’m not saying the action of Congress is a “diabolical plot”. People make decisions for their own interests and owe no fidelity to nonrelatives. The people on the receiving end of a decision may whine that it’s diabolical. That’s just their opinion.

A mother pimping her 12 year old child out to boyfriends is diabolical. The ruling class of America deciding to replace the people with new people easier to dominate is just Social Darwinism I think. Nothing personal.

And Yes, Congress is deliberately destroying the US “Middle Class”. This country in one more generation will look like Brazil with the accompanying language “diversity”, ethnic power splits and divided standard of living.

Brave New World.

By jim d

April 12, 2007 9:59 AM | Link to this

Oh dear SET!!

Perhaps you should start practicing here.

“Mundo Nuevo Valiente”

:-)