Second HISD School Reopens
Several Schools Remain Closed
POSTED: Monday, May 4, 2009
UPDATED: 5:25 pm CDT May 4,
2009
HOUSTON -- A northeast Houston elementary school will reopen Tuesday morning after being closed because of a suspected case of swine flu, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Harvard Elementary, located at 810 Harvard, was cleared by the city of Houston Health Department to reopen. It was closed, along with Hamilton Middle School, located at 139 East 20th Street, on Wednesday.
Hamilton reopened on Monday after it was given the all-clear on Sunday.
"The individual we were concerned about has passed their incubation period without getting ill," said Kathy Barton of the Houston Health Department. "It is the individual that is contagious, not the building or the room. Time is the best disinfectant in this case because the virus cannot live outside the host. Once it is out and it dries up, then it is no longer viable."
Pauline Schloesser's son is a first-grade student at Harvard. She is relieved the unplanned vacation is over.
"I'm ready for my child to go to school. He misses his friends," she said.
Barton said people still need to exercise caution.
"It's still a little early to be wiping your brow and saying, 'Wahoo it's over,'" she said. "We still have cases out there. We still have the potential for transmission. We just need Houstonians to continue doing those good health things that they've been doing the last week."
Some Hamilton parents said it's nice to have their children back in school after the unexpected break.
"She stayed at home, watched TV and tried to get her homework done," parent Trisha Aguas said. "She was quarantined at home."
Some parents said they think shutting down the school was in the best interests of the students and staff.
"I feel a little bit better now," parent Margaret Delarosa said. "I'm confident that it's going to be OK."
Officials have recommended that everyone wash their hands often, use hand sanitizer and cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow to prevent spreading germs.
In Bellaire, Episcopal High School announced that it will reopen for students on Wednesday after a confirmed case of swine flu. Faculty and staff should report to the school on Tuesday.
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