Parents have a right to keep their children out of school due to fears over Ebola, even if those fears are unfounded.
Credit: Maureen Downey
Credit: Maureen Downey
However, I'm not sure schools have a right to act on those unfounded fears and banish students or teachers from the classroom.
We may see the question addressed in a lawsuit out of Connecticut where a school district refused to allow a third-grader return to school after she attended a wedding in Nigeria, a country declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization.
Her father is suing the Milford district for banning the child from school, noting the family was never quarantined by the city after returning from Africa, the school system felt safe enough to send a tutor to the house and a doctor who examined the girl proclaimed her healthy.
The family attorney suggested the ban had more to do with public concerns than real health concerns.
Are public concerns enough to protect schools from liability?
Closer to home, Newton County removed a Spanish teacher from her high school this week after the woman’s husband returned from Sierra Leone Monday. The district said the teacher will not be returning to school until she receives clearance to be around students. The district also said the teacher’s classroom was sanitized as a precaution.
The district posted this message on its website Tuesday:
All reports of this nature are taken very seriously, and we will continue to follow the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Please know that we have initiated the necessary safety measures to protect our students and school community. Wednesday, your child will bring home additional information regarding the Ebola virus, including how to prevent the spread of it and other infectious diseases. Your child's health and safety is always our primary concern. Should you ever have any questions or concerns please contact your child's school.
Apparently, Newton's efforts did not alleviate parental concerns. WSB-TV checked today's attendance rolls at Newton High and found twice as many students absent as compared to the typical day.
On its site, the CDC posted a notice to colleges "recommending that people avoid non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone at this time. We advise that education-related travel to these countries be postponed until further notice."
A New Jersey district was criticized for sending home a letter to parents alerting them to the arrival of two new students from Rwanda, a county with no known cases of Ebola.
In the letter to parents in Howard Yocum Elementary School, part of the Maple Shade Township Schools, the nurse wrote: "This is not an area identified as a country with an Ebola outbreak, however l am taking precautions as per the health guidelines of the Burlington County Health Department. I will be taking the students' temperature three times a day for 21 days. They may continue their usual activities during this time. If they remain healthy during the 21 days, they are not at risk for Ebola. If they get sick the 21 days after returning from an Ebola affected area, they are not at risk for Ebola. This means that they are ill from another source. If there is a fever of 100 or greater, the student will be sent home."
Due to the fears of some parents in Maple Shade, the two African students ended up staying out of school.
The district posted this note on that decision: "As many of you are aware, we have students who have spent time in the eastern portion of Africa that were scheduled to start in our schools on Monday. This area of Africa has been unaffected by the Ebola virus. Despite the fact that the students are symptom-free and not from an affected area, the parents have elected to keep their children home past the 21 day waiting period. The family is looking forward to joining the Maple Shade Schools the following week."
The district’s actions drew fire.
Politix pointed out, "… Rwanda is more than 2,800 miles away from the West African outbreak - that's about the same distance from Boston to Dublin, Ireland."
New York Magazine wrote : "A school in New Jersey expecting two new students from Rwanda — more than 2,500 miles from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa — opted to side with hysterical parents over common sense and decency."
The superintendent of Maple Shade has since posted this note on the district website:
As you know, the Maple Shade School District has been the object of extensive media coverage and community dialogue over the past several days. Our schools have become the unwitting "face" of our nation's fears with regard to pressing health concerns.
If we step back as a community, it is clear that we are of one mind. We all care about our children. New parents were anxious to enroll their children in our public school system. A staff member was anxious to allay any possible fears even before they arose. Community members raised questions about potential health risks to all of our children.
None of the actions that have shined the regional light of media exposure on Maple Shade Schools was mean-spirited or ill intended. Next week, we will welcome the new students whose parents graciously offered to keep them close this week. Our staff, students and entire school family will be enriched by their presence, as we are by each and every student with us today.
As these students enter our doors, we vow to safeguard them and offer them the best possible education here in the Maple Shade Schools. That is our promise to every student.
We will, however, consider the unintended consequences of our messages more carefully in the future. No matter how well intentioned, a message that originated within our schools created conflict and concern within the Maple Shade community. We offer our sincere apologies.
Sincerely, Beth Norcia, Superintendent
Again, parents have every right to be vigilant and hyper-vigilant about their kids. They have a right to react and even overreact.
I don’t think the call is as easy for schools.
What do you think?
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