Richardson ISD Parents Stunned By Possible Ebola Threat
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The number of students possibly exposed to Ebola after coming into contact with Thomas Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with the virus on American soil, is growing.
Three students, all siblings, were pulled from class at Wallace Elementary School in Richardson ISD on Thursday, after the district was notified that they were in contact with Duncan.
Several parents told CBS 11 News they're stunned and upset that the school district didn't remove the children before Thursday. But the school district said they took action immediately after being notified by the Dallas County Health Department that the kids were at the school. It wasn't one of the schools parents were supposed to be concerned about.
"I heard the name of my school and I was like oh my God," said parent Mildred Lawrence. "I think they're not taking it serious. It took awhile before they realized cancer was serious and this is something that kills in no time. It's common sense -- it's serious."
None of the students are exhibiting any Ebola symptoms, according to a letter sent home with students. The letter states that the students attended school all week, but did not show any signs of feeling ill.
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Dallas County Health and Human Services did not notify the district until Thursday about any Richardson students being connected to the Ebola investigation, according to the district. The letter indicates that no other students, faculty or staff are connected to the investigation.
"We have not known about this for a few days," says Tim Clark, a Richardson ISD spokesman.
Another five students who also came into contact with Duncan have been pulled out of neighboring Dallas Independent School District Schools. The students attended four different schools, including two elementary, one middle, and one high school.
Attendance at those schools, one day after the students were removed from class, is at 86 percent each. Normally, those schools have about 96 percent attendance.
Wallace Elementary School is scheduled to undergo a deep cleaning Thursday night. It's a precautionary measure but a sign that the school district isn't taking chances.
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