The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1915-06-10
SOME NEW SCHOOL LAWS.
Teachers Must Promptly Report Symp-
toms Of Disease. Quarantine Regu-
latiOnS Will Increase Attendance.

Under the provision Of an Act
which has received the approval
of Governor Brumbaugh, every
teacher, principal, superinten-
dent, or other person in charge
of a public, private, parochial,
Sunday or other school, will be
required to report to the Health
Officer of a city, borough, or
township, as the case may be,
any unusual rash, skin eruption,
sore throat, symptoms of whoop-
ing cough, or any disease of the
eye, noticed in any child or per-
son attending such school, shall
Immediately exclude such child
or other person from schools
pending the action of the Health
authorities, and shall report such
fact to the Health Officer of city,
borough, or township as the case
may be.
This Act also provides for a
reduction of the quarantine pc
riod for measles, German measles
mumps ard chicken-pox, to six
teen days if the attending ply
sician so requests and certifies to
the recovery of the person so af-
lflicted. The quarantine period
for these diseases heretofore has
been twenty-one days.
In discussing the provisions of
this new law, DR.. Samuel G. Dix
on, Commissioner of Health, said
The provision requiring the
school exclusion and the report
ing to the Health Officer of skin
eruptions, sore throat, symptoms
of whooping cough, and diseases
Of the eye, will unquestionably
be of great assistance to the
health authorities in reducing the
number of communicable diseas-
es to which children are suscep-
tible. Unfortunately, in many
cases diptheria in its early stages
goes unrecognized by parents
who do not appreciate the dan
ger of what appears to be a SIM
pie sore throat. The fact that
children are excluded from school
will cause them to bring the mat
ter to the attention of their fam
lily physician and in this way
many cases of diphtheria in the in
cipient stage will receive treat
ment which otherwise would go
until the little patients had reach
ed a much more dangerous stage
of the disease.
There are several diseases in
which skin eruptions appe ar.
Children with mild cases often
attend school and infect others
who have the disease in a more
virulent form.
AS the association in school is
the means by which the majority
of children contract communica-
BILE diseases, these additional safe
guards it is hoped will aid in les
sening the number of cases and
further reducing the death rate"
In addition to the provisions
above mentioned, the Bill pro-
vides that those residing on prem
ises quarantined for scarlet fe-
yer, measles, German measles, |
or chicken-pox, who have
had the particular disease for
which the quarantine has been
established, when official records
show that they have had it or
where the attending physician
certifies to personal attendance
during such disease, may be per-
mitted to remove to other prem
ises occupied by adults and chill
1ren having had the particular
and resume school at
tendance the day after such re-
moval. Children removed from
premises quarantined for any of
these diseases who have not them
selves had the particular affec-
lion may only be removed to
homes occupied exclusively by
adults and may, fourteen days