To help stem misinformation and provide a central source for official communications, starting on October first, the Dallas Independent School District provided updates to staff, parents and students about individuals who live in the district or may be related to students in the district who are diagnosed with Ebola. Superintendent Mike Miles has also participated in semi-regular press conferences. The Dallas district Ebola update webpage is available here: www.dallasisd.org/healthupdates.

As recently as October 15, there have been additions to the page. The latest update states in part:

Overnight it was announced that a second healthcare provider who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Dallas patient who died of the Ebola virus last week, has tested positive for the virus. The individual is in the hospital and isolated. Dallas ISD has been able to confirm that the healthcare provider does not have any children in the district and has not been notified of any staff members or students having had contact with the second healthcare provider. It is important to note that the Ebola virus can only be transmitted when an infected individual is exhibiting symptoms.

The five Dallas ISD students who were possibly exposed to Mr. Duncan continue to exhibit no signs or symptoms of the virus and continue to be monitored twice daily. As noted in last week’s Dallas ISD Health Update, these students will not return to school until they have not exhibited signs or symptoms of the virus for 21 days.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services and the CDC, if a person exposed to Ebola does not contract the virus within 21 days of exposure, it is definitive that they do not have the virus and therefore have a zero percent chance of contracting the virus (unless exposed again) or transmitting the virus to someone else. The district encourages students, parents, staff, and the community to learn about Ebola using the resources posted at www.dallasisd.org/healthupdates

A Reuters reporter spoke to parents in Dallas taking their children to school on October 4, shortly after the first U.S. patient with Ebola was being treated in a city hospital. As of this moment, EducationWorld does not know of other affected school districts with similar update pages. Feel free to share them in the comments below.