An outbreak that has plagued several school districts in Oakland County in the past month found its way to Lake Orion, as the school district reported two confirmed cases of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) last week.
The first confirmed case came on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Oakview Middle School, prompting the school to be closed that evening for a thorough cleaning.
Two days later, Oct. 25, Lake Orion High School was notified of a case of MRSA, canceling all after school activities held in the building and shutting the building down to be cleaned.
‘The Health Department has said this is a community problem, and we are part of it,? said Lake Orion Schools Superintendent Christine Lehman.
According to Lehman, the school worked in close contact with the county health department, as well as bringing in outside contractors, to clean the schools and ultimately, and hopefully, prevent further cases.
‘We concentrated on locker rooms, athletic equipment, lunch tables. Areas where they could be any involvement and contact,? she said.
Lehman added that it is recommended that students don’t share any personal items such as razors and towels.
‘Also, take towels home every night and wash them,? she said, noting that everyone should take extra precautions and wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.
The schools are taking extra precautions while still trying to stay focused on education and students.
With the case at the high school, Lehman said they cleaned the athletic field first, allowing the marching band to be able to practice for their competition over the weekend, as well as states this Saturday. The football team was able to practice on the natural turf field at Scripps.
She noted that both teams had big competitions approaching and the district worked to make sure they could prepare.
Lehman hopes that with all the precautions, it will prevent further cases of MRSA in the district.
On Monday, reports circulated within the district that there was a case of MRSA at the CERC Building, but a letter was sent to staff cancelling the report after doctors confirmed the case was not, in fact, MRSA.