Ebola Scare: Students And Staff Allowed To Return To Moore Schools

Moore Public Schools will allow students and staff that were on a cruise ship with a passenger who handled Ebola samples to come back to school Tuesday.

The district sent a robo-call to parents Sunday saying in part:

“Moore Schools has been made aware that there were staff members, as well as, students on the same cruise as the lab technician who worked with the Ebola patient in Texas.

Erring on the side of caution, those employees will not report to work until the District can confirm that the lab technician has been cleared and there is no medical threat.”

Moore Schools Superintendent Robert Romines said he wanted a better explanation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the risk posed by the lab technician who handled samples from an Ebola infected patient in Dallas and was on board the Carnival Magic.

“They were not able to answer those questions with 100% certainty,” says Romines, about what he heard Sunday.

But Monday, Romines admitted an "all clear" certainty never came directly from the CDC instead, the Cleveland County Health Department helped calm any fears about the lab technician on board the boat.

“We are confident there is no risk of exposure whatsoever,” said Keith Reed with the Cleveland County Health Department.

Reed met with Romines Monday and assured him that the lab tech on board the cruise ship had tested negative for Ebola and had not showed any symptoms for weeks.

Keith Reed with the Cleveland County Health Department said he delivered that message to the superintendent Sunday night, but after the robo-call to tell some people to stay home went out.

News 9 checked with other school districts.

Mustang schools told News 9 any students or staff that were on the cruise ship are free to return to school Tuesday.

It also said if a parent kept their child from class Monday, the absence will not be counted against them.