Ebola Update - On Oct. 28, a father filed a lawsuit against a Connecticut elementary school. He said his 7-year-old daughter was discriminated because the school banned her for 21 days after attending a wedding in Nigeria. The father claimed the banning was based on unreasonable fears of Ebola.
The father, Stephen Opayemi, sued the school in Milford, Connecticut and asked the judge to order the school officials to immediately allow his daughter to return to her third-grade class. The school banned the girl after she visited Ebola-hit Nigeria. Based on an update by Reuters, he filed the lawsuit in a New Haven federal court in Connecticut.
According to the lawsuit, Opayemi's daughter has not experienced any symptoms associated with Ebola. She is in a healthy condition. However, parents and teachers were concerned she could spread Ebola to other children. Reuters updated that the Connecticut third-grader, Ikeoluwa Opayemi, traveled to and from Lagos, Nigeria between Oct. 2 and Oct. 13.
Although the girl's mother declined to give further updates on the lawsuit, she said they had lived in Milford for over six years and was surprised by the school system's actions for banning her daughter for the reason that she had gone to Nigeria, a now Ebola-free country.
"We're hoping this will get her back into school as soon as possible," Ikeolapo Opayemi, the girl's mother, said in a brief interview.
Meanwhile, the superintendent of Milford Schools has responded to a lawsuit brought by the father against the school system. As per the Fox CT update, the father claimed his daughter was banned from school upon returning from Nigeria because of fears over Ebola.
On Oct. 29, Milford's Superintendent of Schools Dr. Elizabeth Feser released a statement.
"On October 28, 2014, a lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against the Milford Public Schools and the City of Milford, claiming that the manner in which we responded to concerns about the return of a student who traveled to West Africa was improper," Feser said in a statement.
"We deny this allegation. In addressing this situation, at all times, my staff and I proceeded in good faith to respond to this public health issue," she continued. "We acted in the best interest of all of our students and staff. Because this matter is the subject of pending litigation, there will be no further public comment."
Feser statement follows a federal lawsuit filed by the father. Kentucky.com said the father claimed the school violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because it discriminates against his daughter for a "perceived impairment."
Through an undated report, the lawsuit emphasized there is no Ebola in Nigeria, the country the family visited, and the decision to keep Opayemi's daughter home until Nov. 3 is irrational.
The girl returned to school on Oct. 31 with no restrictions after her pediatrician certified she is free and clear of Ebola.
