PTA President Voices Concerns
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Parents with children in the Garden City School District have expressed concern about the recent diagnosis of a student with MRSA, and have also questioned employee screening methods after the arrest of a former teacher, according to PTA President Angela Heineman.

Garden City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen continued to reassure parents at the Nov. 19th Board of Education meeting that the district is following procedures set in several health advisories after a student was recently identified as having Methicillen Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a penicillin-resistant bascterial staph infection.

Heineman said parents have expressed concern about the procedures the district is taking to make sure the infection does not spread. Dr. Feirsen said the district is being guided by advisories from the New York State Dept. of Health, the Mayo Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which call for the continuation of normal cleaning. The district has disinfected areas used by the student, including classrooms, cafeteria, bathrooms and school bus.

In a letter to parents posted on the district's Web site, Dr. Feirsen advises washing hands with soap and water frequently, and keeping cuts and scrapes clean and fully bandaged. More information can be found via links accessed from the district's home page, www.gardencity.k12.ny.us/.

A letter from Dr. Feirsen regarding the arrest of former Garden City Middle School teacher Dennis DeMille can also be found on the district's Web site. DeMille was arrested in October in Suffolk County on a charge of possession of child pornography and in Nassau County on a charge of sexual contact with a minor. The minor does not attend Garden City public schools.

At the Board meeting, Dr. Feirsen said extensive background checks are performed on new employees. Besides checking references provided by the individual, all supervisors a person has had are also contacted.

By law, all new and current employees are fingerprinted. If any employee is arrested, the school district is contacted and begins its own investigation into the nature of the arrest. Dr. Feirsen reassured parents that protective measures are taken if there could possibly be any impact on students.