Local school districts prepare for possibility of Ebola
Here in the Borderland, school districts are preparing for the possibility of Ebola coming to our area.
The Ysleta Independent School District has been sending Ebola policy notices home with students, updating parents on specific preparations for the disease and asking for the most updated contact info to get information out quickly.
There’s also a lot of crossover with regular disease prevention efforts in addressing the possibility of Ebola.
“Usually this time of year we’re looking at the possibility of things such as Influenza,” said Jose Bustillos.
Bustillos is the registered nurse for Hillcrest Middle School in YISD. Along with the more common diseases, he and other nurses in the district are also being trained and made aware about Ebola.
It’s not present in our region currently, but if Ebola were to pop up at a school, nurses and other staff are learning protocols to handle it.
“Just making sure that if anyone does present with symptoms,” Bustillos said, “do a little bit more thorough investigation into where they’ve traveled, and who they’ve been in contact with.”
Along with the nurses and facilities, consideration is being given to the school buses that carry students. The buses are sprayed and wiped down in between every load of kids that a bus takes. That means after the elementary schoolers are dropped off in the morning, the seats will be sprayed with a disinfecting solution before the middle or high schoolers are picked up for their school day.
It all part of regular flu prevention efforts, but extra thought is being put into how to deal with fluids and contamination from Ebola.
Other districts as well are taking proactive steps ahead of any possible outbreaks, applying lessons learned elsewhere.
“We’re working on those protocols just to be safe,” said Melissa Martinez, spokesperson for EPISD. “Again, Dallas has implemented some very useful rules that we’re all able to now study and see how we can apply it to our district.”
Socorro and Clint ISDs are also taking preventative steps.
Laura Cade, director of public relations for CISD said in a statement, “The well-being of our students and staff is a priority in Clint ISD. The District has a communicable disease plan in place which addresses education, monitoring, screening, and communication. Our nurses and administration already work closely with our local Public Health Department and will take direction from their agency if a case is reported. Our staff will continue to take the precautions necessary to reduce the spread of infectious disease within our schools as well.”
SISD’s senior communications specialist Christy Flores-Jones sent ABC-7 this statement: “The Socorro Independent School District is committed to providing safe and supportive learning environments for all students. In line with that priority is a commitment to do everything possible to keep students and staff healthy at school. SISD’s administration and nursing staff remain vigilant in monitoring situations or outbreaks that could compromise the health of students and employees in Team SISD. Currently, the SISD Health Services Department has taken proactive measures to help keep the district safe and healthy.”
