Mystery rash at Middle School

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Mystery rash at Middle School

03/27/02

" I think it's been (reaction to the school rash) overblown. It's

just a mystery. It will pass. " Superintendent Quenten .

PHILLIPS -- Superintendent Quenten believes that significantly less

than the 50 or so of the students that complained of a rash at the middle

school here last week actually had it. " It was a case of 'My friend is

itching so I am too,' " said at the school board meeting on Thursday,

March 22.

On Tuesday morning, March 19, said a few kids came in with a rash on

their arms and face. The school LPN, came to check on the

students and " by drips and drabs of threes and fives, " said the number

of students quickly increased.

He called the state epidemiology department and got no clear answers. He

asked if he should send the affected kids home and if he should cancel

school for the next day, but was told that it was his decision.

" The State of Maine did not seem to have a very coordinated response at

first. It's an hour from to Augusta and there was no interest in

coming up, " said .

also spent much time on the phone with the epidemiology department

and received little guidance. said she is " a hero in my mind for what

she has done over there. "

Students were sent home at the end of the day with the instructions to

shower and wash their clothes. School was canceled for Wednesday at the

middle school and custodians spent the day cleaning and disinfecting the

building.

No one from the state came to check out the school, but an environmental

inspector from Dexter did show up and said he would not take his equipment

out of the truck to run tests unless he was paid $5,000. Instead, for $400

he did a walk through and reported that Middle School was one of

the cleanest schools and the most mold free school he had ever seen,

according to . School resumed the next day.

" On Thursday kids got off the bus and were scratching when they came through

the doors, " said . By 11 a.m., 25 kids complained of a rash. Of those

only two were new cases. By the afternoon a couple more students complained

of it and one young teacher. A couple of cases did turn up at the primary

school, one of which was a sibling of a middle school student that had it.

put the itching students that had not gone home in the teachers' room

with pizza and soda and let them watch Shrek. He said that while they were

watching the movie, he saw very little scratching.

" The more significant thing that happened is that the press had gotten hold

of the story and the level of state bureaucracy that was interested in this

was considerably higher, " said . " I spent most of the afternoon talking

to one dignitary or another. "

Dr. Phil Haines, deputy director of Maine's Bureau of Health, told to

call off school in the next day also, so that environmental testing

could be done. said he was told that the Department of Education would

pay for the testing, but he said he doubted it. Channel 6 and 13 news have

both visited the school and a number of newspapers and the Associated Press

have picked up the story. Maine is the fifteenth state in the country to

have school children with rashes.

" There has been an unidentified school rash going around the country, " said

. " It's been present in a lot of other states. This is apparently the

first time in Maine. In other states it goes away in about a week. " " I think

it's been overblown, " said . " It's just a mystery. It will pass. "

Students were back in school on Monday and at press time there were no

reported cases of the rash. A state inspector was scheduled to run tests on

the school building on Monday, March 25.