Odds and Ends

Had every intention of getting to the Nazareth Borough Council Workshop last night and knew I'd be a few minutes late, but when I finally got home at 8 p.m. and the meeting started at 7:00, I decided not to run over. If anyone was there and has some highlights that would be great as I didn't see an article in either the Express or Morning Call about last night.

Received from Shafer yesterday (November 1) the MRSA letter and hand washing tips from Rosemary Montesana, Director of Pupil Services dated 10/24/07. Ironically it came home on the day I posted in comments that it was odd high school students were given preventive measures tips, but apparently not the other buildings leading one to believe the HS was at high risk. As it turns out maybe the distribution was just slow. At this point in time my understanding is the NASD has stated no student to their knowledge has had MRSA. (read previous MRSA posts here).

Must have been memo day as we also received word that over the next several weeks Shafer will be conducting fire drill, severe weather drill, and building lock down. You may want to warn your kids so they aren't freaked out when they happen (though fire already took place).

For the second year Shafer will not have parent visitation on Turkey Lunch day during National Education Week as had been past practice. As written in the Principal's letter of the Shafer Scoop, "There will be NO classroom observations - lunch only." Under any format or duration, some parents will be able to attend, others won't, but having the opportunity to spend even a brief period of time seeing the teacher and class "in action" is in my opinion of value and beneficial to the parents, students, and teachers, alike. Principal Mudlock closes with this remark, "I would like to remind parents and community members that I welcome your input and involvement in our school. Please continue to show your support to the dedicated staff here at Shafer Elementary." How do you get people involved if you shut them out?

Got any odds and ends to share? Add them to the comments or email me at editor@newsovercoffee.com

Have a great weekend!

MRSA - How Area Schools are Responding, or Not

I wrote previously about the rumor of MRSA in Nazareth High School and relayed information parents provided to me (read part I here and part II here). After making the second post another parent confirmed the following (as posted here in part II) as happening to her as well when contacting the school:

I've since learned that one HS parent was told the NASD wouldn't confirm or deny a student was diagnosed with MRSA, a staph based infection. The same parent was told no further information could be disclosed due to privacy/confidentiality issues.

Today the Morning Call has a front page feature article on MRSA and how schools are combating it (read it here). The approaches noted in the article are much different than what was experienced at Nazareth last week.

From the article:

• "Several area school districts have responded by posting items on their Web sites and sending home notices, warning parents of the dangers and suggesting ways to keep families infection-free -- thorough hand-washing and not sharing the things families commonly share, such as towels and cell phones." Today I visited NASD web site and specifically visited the Pupil Services Page and the HS Nurses page. I found no information on MRSA.
• "in school districts where MRSA has turned up, officials are practicing full disclosure. East Stroudsburg Area School District issued a news release Tuesday about a case of MRSA" and "Parkland High School sent students home with a letter Monday when a student was found to have MRSA." It appears Nazareth had a case, but no disclosure was made.
• "Allentown Central Catholic High School did a top-to-bottom cleaning Oct. 21 after learning about a confirmed case of MRSA. Everything from the tables and desks in classrooms and offices, to handrails, door handles and restrooms were disinfected by a professional cleaning staff, said Principal Yvonne McCarthy." And further, hand sanitizer was placed in every classroom for use. It is not known what if any steps Nazareth has taken beyond its normal cleaning since there has been no disclosure or communication from the NASD on this matter.
• "In the Bethlehem Area School District, a reminder notice was sent to custodial and athletic department staff to make sure they continued disinfecting gym equipment every night, said Kathy Halkins, head nurse for the district." Again, it is not known if any measures like this are taking place in Nazareth.
  
• "The Southern Lehigh School District is disinfecting every time a new group leaves an athletic room." Considering visiting teams use facilities, an excellent idea, but not known what measures are being taken.

The article then states that, "Health experts said the concern shown by schools is warranted."

The above measures are all steps Nazareth could take with number one being full disclosure of incidents and informing concerned parents of what the school is doing to make it as safe as possible.

What do you think? Has NASD been proactive? Have materials since gone home to parents addressing this situation? Is extra cleaning occurring? What can NASD to better communicate or demonstrate they are being proactive? What do you need to know as a parent in regard to MRSA?

MRSA in Schools - Hand Washing Part II

There are many troubles with rumors. They grow, scare, and transform. I've also found they always possess at least a kernel of truth.

The trick is determining which part is the truth.

I posted earlier about a note going home to parents of HS students related to hand washing coupled with a rumor regarding a staph based infection (read it here).

I've since learned that one HS parent was told the NASD wouldn't confirm or deny a student was diagnosed with MRSA, a staph based infection. The same parent was told no further information could be disclosed due to privacy/confidentiality issues.

Another parent informed me that a MS student was told in class about MRSA and that the teacher stated a Nazareth HS student had contracted it.

Finally, I was informed that administration was unable to take calls this afternoon.

The Mayo Clinic web site has this to say about MRSA.

The Center for Disease Control's web site identifies MRSA as the 2nd most popular topic after the California wildfires - read it here.

A search of MRSA on the Express-Times web site listed the following recent articles (view full list):

• Bangor Area School Scrubbed after MRSA Scare (10/25/07)
• Schools asked to report MRSA (10/24/07)
• MRSA in the House (10/23/07)
• Message of MRSA: Take Precautions (10/23/07)
• Student Infected with staph (10/23/07)
  

And from the Morning Call (view all results):

• Staph Screening May Wipe Out Germ (10/24/07)
• Officials: MRSA Should Be Reported (10/21/07)
• Deaths from Superbug Top Those from AIDS (10/17/07)

Hand Washing at the HS

According to the parent of a HS student, a short note was sent home with students yesterday regarding proper hand washing.

Typically in MS, and probably again in HS, students are taught about proper hygiene in phys. ed. or health class.

The hand washing note, however, coincides with a rumor regarding a student being diagnosed with a staph based infection.

The combination of note and rumor prompted the parent to contact me to determine if any other information was available. I had not heard from anyone else and am making this post to learn if there is any other information available - specifically was a student diagnosed (not who the student is), is the infection contagious, and to what extent was the building or other students exposed (staph can live on surfaces of objects and can be spread through contact, so by extension it would be assumed a staph based infection could as well).

The concern is in regard to being able to take appropriate steps to safeguard one's own child and awareness of the severity of the situation is important.

The Mayo Clinic offers this article on hand washing. Preventive steps in the absence of information is probably not a bad idea.

You can also email information to editor@newsovercoffee.com and I can post it confidentially for you.