Districts in Solon, Ohio, and Belton, Texas, closed some schools last week in response to news that a nurse who was recently diagnosed with the Ebola virus flew on a commercial airplane while she may have been showing symptoms. The districts took the action after determining that staff or students were aboard the same Frontier Airlines flight as the nurse, local media reported.
Some school districts in other states also began asking newly enrolled students who fall ill at school about their travel history to determine if they’ve recently visited any of the African countries most heavily affected by the Ebola virus.
The Fairfax County, Va., schools structured screenings using information about the virus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The district told local news outlets it has no reason to believe anyone is at risk.
After two instances of Ebola were reported in Dallas, the Texas School Nurses Association issued screening guidance, advising its members to discuss procedures with school administrators and local health departments.