The teacher who has been out of school since after informing students Tuesday she had been in contact with someone who had returned from Sierra Leone will be back in her classroom at Newton High School Monday.

An automated message from Newton High School Principal John Ellenberg said the teacher has been medically cleared by Emory Healthcare to return without restrictions.

“The teacher does not have Ebola or any contagious disease,” Ellenberg said.

Her classroom was sanitized and the teacher was required to get medical clearance before returning, according to a statement on NCSS’s website and Facebook page Tuesday.

The teacher, who has not been identified, was paid while she was out, NCSS Director of Public Relations Sheri Davis-Viniard said.

“With the amount of media attention that has been given to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we are all worried and frightened of any form of exposure to the disease here at home. Newton High School and Newton County School System leaders are committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our students,” said Ellenberg in the message to parents. “All actions taken by the Newton County School System were preventative in nature and followed the guidelines established under Board of Education Policy for Infectious Diseases. Our school and school system will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our students from all potential hazards.”

Newton County School System posted the statement Tuesday evening telling of the teacher, after concerned parents called earlier that day. The school system then sent home an information packet with infection prevention tips and a letter form Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey Wednesday.

Wednesday, NHS had 213 of its 2,142 students absent, more than its typical 5-6 percent, according to Davis-Viniard.
“All reports of this nature are taken very seriously, and we will continue to follow the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the statement said. “We have initiated the necessary safety measures to protect our students and school community.”