A set of Florida school classrooms were vacated after the death of a teacher who contracted a deadly case of Legionnaires disease.
Pasadena Fundamental Elementary School teacher Katherine Pennington, 61, was reportedly admitted to the hospital with a high fever, chills, a painful headache and sweats – which rapidly deteriorated until her organs started to fail, said her sister Suzanne Geisler to the Tampa Bay Times.
Pennington reportedly spent four days in intensive care and died on November 24 after she was found to have contracted Legionnaires – a deadly and severe lung infection.
On Wednesday, parents of children at the school received a note from school principal Donita Moody who revealed that pupils who were normally based in Building 4 would be taught elsewhere while repairs were made to an air-conditioning system – but the note failed to reference Legionnaires or the teachers’ death.
The email, seen by theTampa Bay Times stated: “In an abundance of caution, air quality tests will also be done to ensure students and staff remain safe.
“Students will return to their original classroom as soon as repairs are completed.”
A colleague of Pennington reportedly told her sister that concerns over standing water and black mold lingering in the air-conditioning handler had been raised to the school’s administration, reported the outlet.
Students will only be allowed to return once the air quality is deemed safe and the air-conditioning is fixed, according to the email. Department of Health officials reportedly visited the school Thursday.
Legionnaires is a serious form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. It is usually spread through the air. Hospitals are frequent sites of outbreaks of the disease.
The disease can be more detrimental to smokers, people over 50, and those with specific health conditions like cancer or diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When contracted, symptoms present in the form of a cough, fever, muscle ache, headaches and shortness of breath. It can also lead to death.
However, it is treatable with antibiotics, and most people do not get sick from it.
Pennington’s alleged Legionnaires remains unconfirmed. It is also unclear if she contracted the virus at the school or elsewhere.
The Independent contacted a Pinellas County Schools spokesperson and the Florida Department of Health for comment.
