McLeod ISD disinfects schools to help combat illnesses

McLEOD, Texas (KSLA) — Workers at McLeod ISD spent Tuesday disinfecting the East Texas district's schools from whatever is sickening students and staffers.

“Our campus is the least impacted,” McLeod High principal Jennifer Lance said. “Most of the sickness has been in the elementary and middle school so far.”

School leaders suspended classes until Thursday after a large number of students were diagnosed with illnesses.

Some of those ailing students are children of teachers at the Cass County campus.

“That was going to put us in a bind with all the staff members out with sick children,” Lance explained.

More than 15% of McLeod Elementary’s students have been diagnosed with Type A flu, Type B flu or strep, principal Erin Lambeth said.

"We are wiping down seats and desks and spraying Lysol on boxes and lockers. We are washing nap mats that were left over the weekend in the washing machines with some Lysol."

Lambeth said they noticed an increase in the number of students absent over the past two weeks due to the flu and flu-like illnesses.

Closing the school around the MLK Day holiday gives sick students an extra day to get well, she explained.

And school administrators and teachers don’t want to see your children in school if they are not well when classes resume.

“If your child has had fever in the past 24 hours, that you keep them home,” Lambeth said. “Also if they have thrown up or had diarrhea, if they have any flu-like symptoms, please keep them home.”