Thurmond: DeKalb Schools’ Ebola Policy Errs on Side of Caution
Several metro Atlanta school systems have updated their health policies to include Ebola guidelines. The DeKalb County school district was one of the first to do so after delaying enrollment for two students who came from a country affected by the virus. Now, the students need to have their medical documents approved by the district superintendent before they can attend class.
The word “Welcome” is posted in the entrance of the DeKalb schools’ central office in eleven languages. They include Arabic, Spanish, Somali, Chinese, and Bengali.
“We speak 170 different languages,” said DeKalb Superintendent Michael Thurmond. “We have a large percentage of refugee and immigrant students.”
Thurmond says that kind of diversity is a plus. He says the district’s Ebola policy only applies to those who’ve come from the affected West African countries of Guinea, Sierra-Leone, and Liberia and affected areas of the U.S. But Thurmond admits it’s tough to implement the plan without profiling students.
“What we have to do, of course, is weigh and balance the risks associated with this very deadly disease,” he said during an interview in his office. “And we think it is within the authority, and quite frankly, just out of an abundance of caution, it’s the proper thing to do here in DeKalb County.”
The district updated its policy after two brothers tried to register for school. Their family had recently been in Liberia. The father worked for Atlanta-based CARE, which had cleared the students for school. Thurmond said that wasn’t enough.
“They lacked independent medical documentation,” he said. “CARE is a wonderful agency, but it’s not a medical provider.”
The district prefers confirmation from the CDC or a local health department. Thurmond says once the students have that, they’ll be allowed to enroll.
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