Letter to the editor from Kortney Booth Clark
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Editor:
I am writing concerning the article in Tuesday’s Uinta County Herald about a student who chose to swim with a 101-degree fever and the flu. Although I applaud his dedication and I am certain with that amount of effort he will go far in his chosen sport, why did the school not follow their rules and send him home?
Why is his swimming on that day more important than the education of all of the students that he exposed to the flu and are probably home sick this week, missing classes?
This goes beyond just exposing healthy kids to the flu; but also threatens those students who have invisible illnesses. The flu is serious for everyone, but it could be deadly to those with chronic illnesses. Kids with asthma, kids on chemotherapy or kids like my child, who has cystic fibrosis. The common cold could put her in the hospital for weeks at a time or even kill her.
I am asking all parents and the school district to keep students home if they have a fever more than 100 degrees, regardless of what sport is happening. Protect all students from illness, but especially the most vulnerable of them all.
I do not think this one student making one swim meet is more important than the education of the others to whom he exposed the flu; it’s not more important than the life of my child or others fighting unknown battles.
Kortney Booth Clark
Evanston