{The parents of two students are delaying their first day of school at Howard Yocum Elementary in Maple Shade, N.J., for 21 days as a result of Ebola fears.}
Fox 29 reports that the two children recently arrived to the U.S. from Rwanda, which is located in east Africa. Salon says that the children were 2,600 miles away from the closest country in west Africa known to have Ebola. This is about the distance between Seattle and Philadelphia.
The elementary school nurse sent a letter to staff and faculty, notifying them of the two children who were supposed to begin classes Monday. In response, the school planned to take the Rwandan students’ temperature three times a day. Fox 29 says the letter wasn’t sent home to parents, just to teachers.
However, once word got out, some parents felt they were betrayed by the school and questioned why they were not notified as well. One parent, Kristina Dickerson, said to Fox 29: “Tell us when we come into the door. Don’t smile in my face and have a secret like that.”
After word spread in the New Jersey community, the school then posted a statement on the Maple Shade School District website. The statement reads:
“The Maple Shade School District takes the health of all students and staff very seriously. 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 school also included links under the statement on important information about Ebola provided by the CDC. It has not been confirmed whether the Rwandan family made the decision themselves or the school district made the suggestion.
Source: Websites
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