The threat of a global outbreak is enough to alarm anyone, especially parents, which explains why they’ve been “bombarding” schools with concerns about students they fear are infected with the new coronavirus spreading from China.
That nation has responded to the global health emergency by locking down a city of millions, but with no known cases in Georgia, health officials here are advocating moderate measures. Trying to address the panic, they sent an advisory to schools Thursday that said students shouldn't be forced to miss class time just because they or a member of their family had traveled there.
Until further notice, the Georgia Department of Public Health says, the best way to prevent infection is to follow the age-old advice for the common cold and flu: wash hands regularly with warm water and soap, cough or sneeze into a handkerchief rather than on people, and stay home when feeling ill. And get the flu shot.
“We understand that school staff, parents and the community are concerned about the health and safety of our children, however, it is important to understand the risk of disease transmission and not impose unnecessary restrictions on persons who do not present an immediate health risk,” the advisory says. In bold, the letter, which went out to school health workers, says students “do not need to be excluded from school” just because a family member traveled to China in the past two weeks.
Nancy Nydam, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the letter was needed because schools had been asking for guidance and because a parent contacted the agency to share concerns “about information shared in their district.”
Nydam would not identify the nature of that information nor the school district where it was shared.
Forsyth County Schools emailed parents recently asking that any child with a family member who returned from China "wait for the 14-day incubation period" to expire before returning to school. The absences wouldn't be counted and the students would be given online learning access, added the message, also posted online for parents of the district's more than 50,000 students.
Forsyth has a fast-changing population, district spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said. Some schools that were nearly all white little more than a decade ago are now more than half Asian. At one elementary school, 77% are. Many families travel to China, which has alarmed some parents, who have been sending their children to school wearing masks.
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“Our schools were getting bombarded with questions from parents, and the rumors were going crazy,” Caracciolo said. She stressed that the decision to keep a child home rested with parents and said most who contacted the district understood the request as a safety precaution.
One family with a member who had traveled to China complained, though. District officials, including the principals at the schools attended by two children from the family, apologized.
The letter had been sent in an “abundance of caution” seeking voluntary parental action, Caracciolo said, and the apology to the family was extended “to others in our community if this message was interpreted differently,” she said. “We have never excluded a student from school and we do not discriminate.”
Other school districts are feeling pressure from parents, too. “We’re combating that by sending information out,” said Brian Noyes, spokesman for Fulton County Schools. The district of more than 90,000 students has been sharing the guidance from state public health officials. “The best thing to do with our parents is just be in communication with them,” he said.
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