Dr. William Clark

Superintendent’s Corner
November 2007

As many of you are aware around the Milton Area School District and also around the country, there have been recent media reports due to the increase of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in schools.  The spread of MRSA has gotten a lot of press recently regarding a student in Virginia dying from MRSA.  Most districts across the Commonwealth are trying to address this issue daily through cleaning schools at the conclusion of each school day prior to the arrival of the students the following day.

Due to concerns received in the last several weeks from parents via emails and phone calls, I would like to address this issue in my monthly Blog.

Early on, at the beginning of the football season, the district did receive a report from the trainer regarding two individuals having potential staph infections.  Once the trainer identified staph and sent those students to their family physicians, the students were treated and returned to school.

The district is stepping up the cleanliness of the buildings in a variety of areas.

• A minimum of two (2) times per week in the weight room and football locker room we will be using a fogger with QUAT-64 which is a broad spectrum disinfectant
• Every evening, the floors, showers, toilets, sinks and urinals are cleaned in the football locker room
• Every night all of the equipment is wiped down in the weight room
• Every other night, all desks in the classrooms are cleaned
• Every night, all doors and door handles are cleaned
• A minimum of twice per week, we will begin fogging the wrestling room starting in November Every day we will begin scrubbing the wrestling mats in November
• Every night, after sinks are cleaned, extra mist is sprayed and left on there
• Every night we are cleaning the stair handrails
• Every night we are cleaning the beds, floors and restrooms in each nurse’s office

This is just one area where we are trying to address this issue.  These areas were already being cleaned, but in order to step up cleaning for the staph and what it can cause, we are trying to address these areas.

Some things that parents can remind their kids: 

• good hygiene such as encouraging students to take showers after practice using anti-bacterial soap dispensers in the showers and at sinks
• launder all gear, undergarments and outerwear
• avoid sharing towels on the sidelines, the mat side or courtside
• avoid whirlpools or common tubs with any wounds, scrapes or abrasions
• avoid sharing razors, disposable or otherwise, and athletic gear such as t-shirts, shorts and equipment

Some recommendations that we have seen from the Department of Health regarding MRSA include:

• Athletes should report all abrasions, cuts and skin lesions to the athletic trainer for proper cleansing and treatment
• Athletic trainers should refer any suspicious skin lesion to the student’s family doctor
• All wounds should be treated and covered by the athletic trainer
• Facilities as described above will be cleaned daily
• All health care personnel must keep hands clean by washing thoroughly with antibacterial soap

In order to keep parents more aware of this, a letter will be sent home the beginning of November outlining some of the concerns that we have received.

At this point in time, there have been no identified MRSA cases at the Milton Area School District, but we are vigilant in watching for those.  If any individuals are identified, they will be sent for proper medical treatment.I think children at all levels should be encouraged to practice good hygiene with cleanliness, not just the students involved in athletics.  This does carry over into the home as much as it does into the school.  Regardless of the school cleaning, with the students entering and exiting every day, we must be vigilant and clean the building every day prior to their return due to the potential germs that are brought into school daily.If you would like to learn more MRSA and read some guidelines, you can visit the web site at the Department of Health (www.health.state.pa.us) or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.org) or there is a link on the district website to www.kidshealth.org/research/mrsa.html.

If any student has been identified outside of school as having any infection, please inform the school of that infection so that we can take proper precautions at the school.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this issue, please call the building principal or building nurse as they are prepared to answer questions regarding this particular issue.

This information that has been provided to you has been gathered from various internet sites listed above.  Some additional has also been utilized from other districts that they have used to educate their community.