AVON — A student at Avon Middle School is hospitalized with MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and a younger sibling of the student, a student at Avon Heritage South Elementary School, is out of school with a less severe case of MRSA.
MRSA is a type of staph infection that is difficult to treat because it is resistant to many antibiotics.
(Scroll down to read letters from both schools’ principals.)
Koehler declined to identify the middle schooler by sex or grade level (seventh- and eighth-graders go to Avon Middle). He did say the student is involved in fall sports.
The student has been out sick for about a week, and Koehler received a call from the student’s mother a little before 2 p.m. yesterday to let him know about the diagnosis, he said.
Koehler prepared a letter to parents and sent it home with students yesterday in addition to e-mailing it parents.
According to the letter, the district has instituted extra cleaning measures, including “disinfecting in the cafeteria, gyms, locker rooms and classrooms to help bring peace of mind and to assure we are doing all we can to help prevent the spread of the bacteria.”
The letter advises students to practice good hygiene, washing hands, covering open skin areas and avoiding sharing personal items, and recommends “if your child shows any symptoms of MRSA, be sure to consult your health care provider as soon as possible.”
Common signs of MRSA are redness, warmth, swelling and tenderness of the skin. Often a MRSA infection will look like a spider bite, boil, abscess or pimple.
The student’s sibling is also out of school but not hospitalized, according to Jason Call, principal at Avon Heritage South, which houses grades three and four.
Call said he found out about the MRSA about 4 p.m. yesterday. He sent a notice to parents yesterday via the school’s eNews, which the majority of the parents suscribe to, and will send a paper copy of the letter home today, he said.
He said the student has been out of school for three days, and the school has “thoroughly scoured all the rooms in question.”
Koehler said he last spoke with the middle-schooler’s mother last night, and everything at home and the hospital was going well.
“We are confident the quick actions by the parents will result in a speedy recovery and hope to see the student back at school soon,” Koehler’s letter said.
Letter from Principal Craig Koehler at Avon Middle School:
Letter from Principal Jason Call at Avon Heritage South Elementary School:
Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.