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On January 31, 2025, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that the assistant director sent out a message today, January 31, 2025, mentioning there were no cases of the flu in the building when there actually are a few and have been for a couple of weeks. Compliance Inspector (CI) Curtis West conducted an unannounced investigation and found the allegations are substantiated. This conclusion is based on the following evidence of licensing rule violations which occurred at the facility:
5 CSR 25-500.192(2)(B) which states: "Each child's parent(s) shall be notified immediately when any contagious disease occurs in the facility."
On February 6, 2025, CI West conducted an unannounced inspection and interviewed Assistant Director John McMillen, Caregiver Donna Perez, and Caregiver Halle Coursey. John stated that on February 4, 2025, they had the first case of confirmed influenza from a child inside the daycare. He drafted a memo about positive cases of influenza inside the preschool class and posted it on the door entering the building. He thought the rule about notifying parents of contagious illnesses only pertained to when the children got sick, not the caregivers. Donna stated that she advised John she tested positive for Influenza A on January 8, 2025. She gave John the note from the Minute Clinic advising her not to return to work until January 13, 2025. Halle stated that on January 30, 2025, she tested positive for influenza. She texted John and advised him that she had tested positive for influenza. She did not see any notification to parents about influenza until February 4, 2025.
On February 6, 2025, CI West conducted a walkthrough of the facility and observed a note dated February 4, 2025 posted on the front door about confirmed cases of Influenza A inside the daycare.
On February 25, 2025, CI West interviewed Parent B and Parent C. Parent B stated she first noticed the note on the front door about a child with influenza on February 4, 2025. Parent C stated she noticed a note to the parents about a child with influenza on the front door about three weeks ago.
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