WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Concerned parents sound off about E. Coli at school board meeting

Concerned parents sound off about E. Coli at school board meeting

By Scott Harvey

FLOYDS KNOBS, Ind. (WAVE) -- Even though the recent outbreak of E. coli at Galena Elementary School in southern Indiana has been on the minds of concerned parents, the topic wasn't on the agenda at Monday's New Albany/Floyd County School Board meeting. As WAVE 3 Investigator Scott Harvey reports, that didn't stop irate parents from bringing it up.

One mother, in particular, is upset not only about how the situation was handled, but also because she has to watch helplessly while her 6-year-old daughter suffers. "No child should ever have to endure, the stuff that  she's gone through," said Marcia Jacobi.

Jacobi says her daughter, Sydney, started showing symptoms of the illness last Wednesday. She had her tested and diagnosed within a day, but her condition has worsened. Her platelets are down and she could have to be put on dialysis.

E. coli is a bacteria typically spread by eating undercooked contaminated ground beef or leafy vegetables. It causes bloody diarrhea and severe cramps.

Jacobi wanted to tell her daughter's story to school board members, but couldn't because she was at Sydney's bedside at Kosair Children's Hospital. Instead, she sent friend and neighbor Wendy Moody to read a letter on her behalf.

"She is sincerely appalled by how this has been handled," read Moody. "Parents of both healthy and ill children feel this has been dramatically downplayed."

Jacobi says her daughter screams when she goes to the bathroom. "It's just unbearable to listen to her."

Wendy played a tape for school board members of Sydney screaming in pain.

A letter faxed to the school system Monday from the Health Department says "health officials are confident in the safety of the elementary school as no other cases have become ill since September 17th.  A school board member asked if the Health Department knew on the 17th, why did administrators wait until the 21st to get the word out?

New-Albany Floyd County Assistant Superintendent Bill Briscoe said it's still unclear whether the students contracted E. coli at the school or elsewhere.

"What we are led to believe that means is, of these children that have been named in this thing, the six and the two suspected, that all of their symptoms started somewhere before that date. That's a question we have. We do not have the full answer to that yet."

Wendy didn't only speak as a messenger, but as a mother with a child at Galena Elementary.  She criticized the fliers the school sent home with students, saying they were inadequate.

"They really don't give us concise information," she said. "It's not stressing the importance of keeping your child home if they are exhibiting any symptoms of the E. coli."

Most of the parents we talked to said they aren't concerned about where the E. coli came from, but want to know how the school will keep healthy students safe.

Online Reporter: Scott Harvey

Online Producer: Michael Dever