ROCKVILLE, Md. – A special education teacher at a Maryland middle school died from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), prompting administration to take precautions to protect students and teachers.
Merry King died Dec. 10 after contracting the disease several weeks prior to her death. Officials are unsure where King caught the superbug; however, they are certain that she did not catch the disease at Herbert Hoover Middle School.
School administrators and health workers held a meeting for parents to discuss ways to prevent MRSA. According to director of School Health Services for Montgomery County Health and Human Services Judy Covich, the disease can be prevented by everyone washing their hands.
Parents were told King’s classroom had been disinfected and common areas around the school were being cleaned with a bleach solution.
Hoover Principal Billie-Jean Bensen sent a letter to faculty members and parents to inform them of King’s death.