Teachers' trip amid Ebola crisis stirs concerns
PRIEST RIVER — Priest River Lamanna High School teachers’ attendance at a training seminar in Texas amid the Ebola crisis is raising concerns and questions.
Eight teachers and the school’s grant facilitator flew to a 21st Century Community Learning Center retreat on Monday and are due back in Bonner County on Thursday night. They are scheduled to return to class on Monday.
Residents and students are questioning whether the trip is endangering the teachers and exposing the community to the deadly virus, which has caused one death and infected two health care workers in Texas.
The staff is apparently attending a retreat in Salado, Texas. Salado is approximately 145 miles south of Dallas, where the Ebola crisis is unfolding.
The grant-funded retreat is training teachers involved with after-school programs at PRLHS.
West Bonner County School District Superintendent Paul Anselmo said the district has done its due diligence and said the teachers’ trip will not put students at risk.
Anselmo said the district is in contact with Bob Howard, director of emergency management in Bonner County. Howard, meanwhile, has been in contact with the Panhandle Health District.
“We also spoke with the Centers for Disease Control and even delayed staff’s return trip to look at all our options. We were even thinking of renting cars and having them drive home but we are assured they will be safe. First and foremost, we have the best interest of the kids. Staff in Texas were not worried about this and we don’t want to be the ones pushing the panic button,” Anselmo said.
Anselmo added that he has kids in the schools and treats other kids in the school as his own.
The absence of so many teachers and the resulting use of substitutes is also reportedly causing disciplinary issues at the high school, although Anselmo said he was unaware of that. Priest River Police said they were similarly unaware of any such issues.
Principal Roy Reynolds did not return a message seeking comment.
Reports of unruly behavior and the fact that teachers are in a state where Ebola has been detected are reportedly causing some parents to keep their kids out of school for the time being.
Vicki Matlock, an Oldtown woman with two grandchildren who attend PRLHS is alarmed and wants others in the community are aware of the situation.
“Even if there’s a half-percent-chance that the kids or community are in danger, then why are willing to risk it?” said Matlock.
Matlock added that the some of the students’ concerns and questions about the teachers’ trip to Texas have been disregarded.
Moreover, Matlock is recommending that teachers on the trip be kept out of school for at least 25 days to ensure there is no risk of infecting others if they have indeed come into contact with Ebola.
n Daily Bee News Editor Keith Kinnaird contributed to this report.
Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. It spreads through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth) with:
n blood or bodily fluids (urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola
n Medical supplies and other objects that have been contaminated with the virus
n Infected animals
—SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention