Ebola Concerns Allayed, Milford Student Returns to School Friday

Update 6:30 p.m.

Joint Statement from Superintendent of Milford Public Schools, Dr. Elizabeth Feser and Stephen Opayemi Regarding Meadowside School Student

Date: October 30, 2014

The parties issued the following statement:

• A Health Assessment Record, dated October 24, 2014, has been provided to the Milford Public Schools, documenting that the student’s pediatrician has examined her and has certified that she is perfectly healthy and can take part in school activities, without restriction.
• The student has had no contact with any ebola patients and she does not have ebola.
• The student does not present any health risk to any individual.
• The parties are pleased to announce that the student will return to school on October 31.
• The parties wish to announce that the lawsuit in this matter will be settled. Neither party will be making any further comments about the settlement.

Original post at noon

Parents at Meadowside Elementary School, where a student was not allowed to attend school over unfounded Ebola concerns reacted to the school’s decision, WTNH reports.

The third-grader had travelled to Nigeria earlier this month with her family for a wedding and upon returning was told by city health and school officials that she could not go back to school until Nov. 3, when the incubation period for the disease would end, the Hartford-Courant reports.

According to the Courant, the girl’s father filed a federal lawsuit against the Milford school system under the Americans with Disabilities Act saying his daughter is being discriminated against.

Parents at the school had mixed reactions to the school’s decision. Two parents interviewed by the news channel agreed that the response was alarmist while one parent felt the decision was a matter of safety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Sept. 24 Nigeria had limited the Ebola outbreak to 20 confirmed cases with the last two cases occurring on Aug. 18 and Aug. 31, the girl had returned from Nigeria with her father on Oct. 13. There is currently no advisory issued by the CDC on travel to Nigeria.

The family’s attorney, Gary Phelan of Mitchell & Sheahan P.C. told Milford Patch that starting today the family would not be doing any media interviews, focusing instead on the legal issues surrounding the case.

In a statement issued by the Milford Superintendent of Schools on Oct. 29, Dr. Elizabeth Feser said the the school district acted in the best interest of all the students and staff.

Read more at WTNH.

Image via Shutterstock

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