Kent schools take different approach to MRSA cases

Early Monday morning, news of staph infections at Kentlake High School and Mattson Middle School, both in the Kent School District, spread quickly.

Three people told the district they had contracted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a form of staph infection that is highly resistant to antibiotics.

District officials reported the cases to Public Health — Seattle & King County.

Cleaning crews disinfected classrooms and scrubbed high-traffic areas, and the district sent letters home, explaining how the infection is contracted and how to avoid spreading it.

But unlike school officials in Port Townsend, who canceled the final football game of the season, and closed a preschool class at Grant Street Elementary for two days because two people were believed to have the infection, Kent officials opted to keep schools open.

Health departments do not require schools to close if MRSA is reported there.

Most health departments do not recommend school closures as a way to deal with MRSA, but it is up to district officials to decide whether to close a school.

Kent School District officials consulted the health department and decided not to cancel classes at Kentlake and Mattson, district spokeswoman Becky Hanks said.

"We chose to use it as an opportunity to educate people," Hanks said.

James Apa, spokesman for the health department, said the bacteria is killed through simple hygiene, such as washing hands and covering infections.

The district was not required to report the MRSA cases to health officials, Hanks said, but news reports that a Federal Way man died from MRSA earlier this month had heightened the district's awareness of the issue.

Port Townsend Superintendent Tom Opstad said the district might have acted prematurely when two cases of MRSA were suspected in the district.

It canceled the game and two days of preschool without knowing much about the infection.

Recent conversations with the Jefferson County Public Health Department have changed the district's position.

In the future, Opstad said, the district would use hygiene education as its main weapon to prevent the spread of the infection.

"It was overkill," he said. "We've learned from our health department that routine cleaning is enough to take care of any staph infection."

Karen Johnson: 253-234-8605 or karenjohnson@seattletimes.com