What You Said: MRSA, Out-of-School Suspension

Lindenhurst residents have weighed in about how the handled notification of parents following the discovery of a case of MRSA at the .

In a recent Talk Back Poll 59 percent felt more should’ve been done to alert parents, while 40 percent felt the letter the district sent home with students to parents sent home was enough.

Residents and readers also weighed in about whether or not they thought out-of-school suspension was an effective disciplinary tool in a school district’s arsenal.

In that Talk Back Poll 58 percent said OSS just gives students free time at home, while 41 percent said it sends a strong message the behavior was a serious infraction.

Residents and readers also took to the site, as well as to Facebook and Twitter, to share their thoughts about both topics.

Here’s a look at what some residents and Patch readers had to say about each topic. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below. To see the results of each poll, click and . To read more about the MRSA case, click .

On the Topic of MRSA in Lindenhurst
LindyDawg: “My child was sick the day the letter was given out so we never got one and only found out about this days later. Obviously the district did the absolute minimum they could get away with here.”

Cindy Lou Who: “Why should it be that big a deal? So there was a case of MRSA. It doesn't mean everyone should panic. Teach your children good habits, and everything should be fine. If it isn't this, then there will be something else. There isn't a way to protect your children from everything. The teacher was removed as soon as the school knew. The school was cleaned. What more could be done?”

Outside looking in: “I can't believe all of the media coverage! Did this teacher bring back smallpox? The parent who says on TV that she’ll pull her kids out of school? Are you kidding? In today's new, germaphobic society, maybe we should all consider home-schooling so our kids can never get sick or dirty.”

Maire: “This is a terrible thing that this teacher is facing. I do hope they conquer it soon!”

Lisa: “If I kept my kid home because of every letter I received about a disease going around, then he’d never be in school.”

bobby T: “Punched-out student in his class resulting in a , lacrosse kids on a bus, and now a teacher with MRSA! What's next? This is all bad publicity for Lindy's ‘Home of Good Schools.’”

Lindy Mom: “Do you actually think this is the only place such activity is going on? There are fights in schools; there are drinking and drugs going on in every Long Island school. [They] got caught, so it made news - in some instances because of parents. Also that poor teacher, I'm sure, didn't want MRSA. But does it make us look bad? I don't think so. I think it’d be worse if they said a teacher was found to have had relations with another student. That seems to make news all over. Don't bring down the school or the district for a few bad occurrences. That’s not what defines us.”

On the Topic of Out-of-School Suspension
Nicole Gorin Selvaggio: “Out-of-school suspension isn’t a punishment; it's a day off. Come on now!”

Kim Sullivan-Hofmann: “Back when I was in school, the kids who’d get out-of-school suspension are the kids who wanted to be out of school. They usually got OSS because of cutting classes; [it was] never understood it was just giving them what they wanted. How about in-school with extra projects? Really bad infraction? In-school with parent.”

Karen Bible Catone: “Or spending those hours performing community service, taking a negative turn it into a positive?”

Heather-Joe Bennett: “OSS is absolutely absurd.”

Christian Minucci: “They should have in-school suspension and be made to do reports or class work for each class they have. And have it count towards their class grade, to avoid the kids chumming up to the teacher watching the in-school suspension.”

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