WEATHERSFIELD SARS talk dominates

A local physician said the community was never at risk for SARS exposure.
By MARY SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- About 60 people showed up at a town hall meeting to discuss the pros and cons of Weathersfield School District's income tax issue on next week's primary ballot.
What they heard first, however, was a debate between two school board members on the closure of schools Monday in light of the SARS scare.
Superintendent Rocco Adduci, at the strong urging of board member Dr. Dominic Pannunzio, closed schools for health reasons because 25 students had made a band-parent-sponsored trip to Niagra Falls and Toronto, Canada, during spring break last week. The students were accompanied by 14 adult chaperons.
Cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome had been reported in Toronto.
In the high school auditorium Wednesday, board president Debra Maust said Pannunzio may have violated state law or the intent of the law by acting as if he spoke for the school board in asking the superintendent to close schools.
Maust said Pannunzio's actions resulted in the loss of revenue for the school because classes were canceled. Concerns were checked out with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and Dr. James Enyeart, Trumbull County health commissioner, as to whether the students who went on the trip presented a risk for exposure to SARS.
What doctor said
Before the board members' comments, Dr. John Venglarcik of Forum Health told the audience that the students were safe during their stay in Toronto and that the community was never at a calculable risk.
The doctor added that elementary-age children and younger are "clearly not getting the disease." He added that there have been no deaths from SARS in the United States as of Wednesday.
The sometimes-fatal, flulike illness has infected nearly 5,500 people worldwide, killing at least 375.
After Pannunzio presented his prepared remarks, Maust told him that he had violated the chain of command, since she is president of the board and thus, spokesperson for it.
She called for his resignation or a public apology for the "misrepresentation you gave us."
Pannunzio said he called the superintendent and several board members, including Maust, to express his concern and lay out the options the district faced. He said the board could do nothing, quarantine the band students for a week, or close school for one day.
"It's my fault. I stand by it. I think parents have the right to make informed decisions," Pannunzio said.
As a precaution against possible SARS infection, two schools canceled their sporting events with Mineral Ridge High School teams Tuesday and a third school backed out of a track meet scheduled for Saturday here.
Attendance at Weathersfield School District's three school buildings was down 3 percent to 5 percent overall Tuesday, Adduci said.
Adduci said after the meeting that there were no sporting events canceled Wednesday, and that enrollment figures were down slightly for the day at the high school and about 3 percent below normal at the elementary school and the middle school.
When the audience did discuss the income tax issue, they raised concerns about the need for a continuing tax as opposed to a five-year tax, cuts that may be needed if the tax fails, and cost-saving measures the board now has in place.