(MOBILE, Ala.) Nov. 3 -
As the swine flu spreads, LOCAL15 News has learned some of our children have gone without one of the best defenses against the virus. Students at E.R Dickson Elementary in Mobile didn't have soap in their school and parents had no idea until we told them.Since the school year started, hundreds of students have been out sick, some with just minor colds, others with flu-like illnesses. School officials keep urging students to wash their hands to keep viruses from spreading.
Michelle Cowan was shocked to find out her second-grade daughter hasn't had soap to use in the bathroom.
"I mean, they didn't tell us anything about it," Cowan said. "I didn’t know anything. I didn’t get a letter home from the school. I definitely would have sent extra supplies to the school.”
Parents and children we spoke to say they haven't had soap for some time, but the school system tells us it's only been a few days.
"The teachers are making sure that the kids are getting their hands washed and dried," said Mobile County Schools spokeswoman Nancy Pierce.
Pierce said there was a glitch in the system when ordering the supplies in October. She also said teachers all have hand sanitizer in the classroom and after the students go to the bathroom, they use that.
School officials say hand sanitizer should be good enough, but local health officials we talked to said no soap in the bathroom could be a health hazard for students.
"Everything you touch when you come out of the bathroom, you can transmit some kind of disease with it," said Melissa Tucker with the Mobile County Health Department.
We first brought this issue to the attention of the school district Tuesday morning. When we went to interview the school's spokesperson Tuesday afternoon, the soap had arrived.
School officials said the hand sanitizer and other supplies in the classrooms were donated by parents. If that runs out, teachers pick up the cost for more supplies.
