Monterey Park Elementary takes precautions for pertussis

Four students at Monterey Park Elementary are back in school after coming down with whooping cough in February. Doctors gave them the all clear, but school leader say some parents are concerned.

“After last night’s (Wednesday) meeting we had a few parents who were concerned about the pertussis, their concern was a little more elevated. We had a few parents ask if they could keep their students from school today (Thursday),” said Principal Brian Hays.

Hayes said the students who contracted pertussis were in the same fifth-grade classroom. To stop the spread, school employees said they took every precaution to make the room safe.

“After we received word of the diagnosis, we took all efforts to clean the areas. We were using a cleaning solution that’s been approved by the state of California as a sanitizing solution,” said Hays.

But now school leaders are using these whooping cough cases as an educational opportunity by creating the Healthy Habits Campaign to teach kids how to slow the spread of germs.

“For me, I really had to think ‘How do we stop this?’ Because we were getting another diagnosis after diagnosis. We could clean the rooms all night long, but really what it comes down to is educating the students on proper, healthy habits,” said Hays.

As a precaution, school staff said the district nurse will continue to observe students and teachers to ensure the safety for everyone on campus.