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County counsel says health department provided handouts to Amish and Mennonite schools ahead of possible measles cases
Summary
County counsel reported that the Elkhart County Health Department proactively offered handouts and contact information to Amish and Mennonite schoolteachers about a potential measles outbreak, taking care not to speak directly with students and respecting religious practices.
County Counsel read a statement at the April 17 Elkhart County Council meeting describing a health-department outreach effort to Amish and Mennonite schools following reports of measles in the Fort Wayne and Michigan areas.
The statement said the health department’s preparedness coordinator visited the schools and provided teachers with handouts that could be sent home at the teacher’s discretion, and left contact information for follow-up questions. "Balancing our responsibility for a healthy community and at the same time respecting the beliefs of these communities, we only offer the teachers a handout which could be sent home with the students at the discretion of the individual teachers," the counsel said. The statement added, "At no time did she speak with any of the students."
The counsel said the health department received multiple inquiries from Amish parents following the outreach and commended the preparedness coordinator’s approach for managing the topic "in such a sensitive way." The council did not take action on the matter during the meeting; the statement was informational to the public record.
