More students at Bensalem's K. Shafer Middle School contract mysterious rash

February 14, 2002

More students contract mysterious rash

Eight more students from Bensalem's K. Shafer Middle School reported

having a mysterious rash. Students at other district schools have shown up

with it as well.

By DENISE CLAY

Courier Times

Eight more students at the K. Shafer Middle School in Bensalem

complained of a mysterious rash yesterday, bringing the total number of

students with the rashes to 71.

None of the eight students was sent home, said Bruce Rachild, Bensalem's

assistant superintendent. The Bucks County Health Department visited the

school yesterday and said the problem didn't merit closing the school,

Rachild said. Forty-four children were sent home Monday.

" Parents were given the option of picking up their children, but chose not

to, " Rachild said.

Parents of two students at Herbert Hoover Elementary School in Middletown

kept their children home because of a rash of undetermined origin, said

Costanzo, spokeswoman for the Neshaminy School District.

Also, a student at Poquessing Middle School in Lower Southampton saw a

school nurse about a rash but wasn't sent home, Costanzo said.

Eagle Industrial Hygiene ran tests on Shafer classrooms 210 and 211 after

the first cases were reported last week, but on-site tests yielded no

results, Rachild said. Samples were taken for further study, and the results

will be available sometime next week, he said.

Students at Bensalem High School, Neil A. Armstrong and Cecilia Snyder

middle schools and Rush and Valley elementary schools also reported

rashes, Rachild said.

The student at Valley Elementary appeared to have contracted the rash from a

parent, Rachild said.

Hoover Principal Mike Stanford said district officials are closely

monitoring the situation in light of the rash outbreak that started in Upper

Bucks schools.

The first cases of the undetermined rash were found in the Richland

Elementary School in the Quakertown Community School District. More than 130

students and four teachers throughout that district have had itchy, but

harmless, rashes since Jan. 31.

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

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