The Poplarville School District released a statement addressing the employee who recently traveled to Africa, and the parent of several students who recently traveled to Ghana.
The statement reiterated that neither individual travelled to Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone, and that the Ebola outbreak has not spread to any other African country.
The Poplarville School District also said in the release that the employee volunteered to take time off work in order to alleviate the public’s concern. He did not want to interfere with the students’ ability to learn or create the negative attention his presence might cause. Despite the fact that he is at absolutely no risk, he went out of his way to ensure that he would not be a distraction to the students, parents or administration in the Poplarville schools.
In addition to the employee’s self-quarantine, he and the school district have been in contact with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, as well as the Mississippi Department of Health, to be certain that the students, faculty and staff would face no risk of exposure from the Ebola virus.
The Poplarville School District said they have been informed through letters from the Mississippi Department of Health that neither the employee nor parent in question present any risk of Ebola exposure to the community.
The statement closed by thanking the public for their concern over the matter, reassuring them that the Poplarville School District will always do what is best for their students and employees.