By David Cruz
Correspondent
Officials were anxious to quell any concerns among parents at the Oliver Street School after a 6-year-old first-grader died of a suspected case of bacterial meningitis last week. City officials said the child was in contact with other students while she was ill but the mayor today said there was no cause for alarm.
“We believe that the school is safe at this time,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “I know that there’s anxieties about surfaces in the school and all that but the disease can’t be contracted that way, but we’re gonna clean up the school anyway just to assuage the anxiety and the anguish of the families and community members of this area.”
Early symptoms of meningitis include the sudden onset of a fever, headache and a stiff neck. If left untreated, it can lead to seizures, coma and even death.
The cause for concern is genuine, say experts, but outbreaks are rare since the disease is not easily transmitted. The Centers for Disease Control says bacterial meningitis is spread by direct contact with saliva or mucus, which can happen with young children in a cafeteria or playground setting.
“What we have done at the school level is work with parents and staff to communicate exactly what is know here at the district,” said Brittany Parmley, executive director of communications for the Newark Public Schools. “We also cleaned the school over the weekend and did a deep clean of the classroom itself. At this point what we do know is that meningitis is spread from fluid to fluid so the potential for risk is low.”
Communications between the city and the school district have been strained for some time now. The mayor and Superintendent Cami Anderson have a relationship that can best be described as strained. The mayor says the city is working independently of the school system to ensure that its residents are protected.
“We were at the school yesterday and the leadership of the school system was there. The superintendent wasn’t there but everyone else was there in terms of the health [officials],” Baraka said.
School officials sent notes home over the weekend and met with parents and teachers yesterday.
“Yesterday afternoon we had a community meeting at the Oliver Street School with the Newark Health Department to help answer any questions. At this point in time we are encouraging any parents who have students with flu-like symptoms to go and see their health care provider and beyond that we are taking our directives from the state Health Department and the Health Department here in Newark,” Parmley said.
The mayor said he will hold another community meeting here tomorrow and told parents that transportation for families who wanted to go to a city health center would be provided.
The mayor says there’s no crisis here but concerned parents should call the city’s Health Department for more information or barring that, see their family doctors to have their child examined.