A Nigerian family resident in Durham, North Carolina has been forced to go to court after their child was banned from school over Ebola fears.
16-year-old Samuel Ubezonu was told to stay home by authorities at the Mount Zion Christian Academy after his father, Somto returned from a trip to Nigeria on October 27.
In a letter to the teen’s parents, school Superintendent Donald Q. Fozard Sr. wrote:
“We value your family and all of our families and consider it our foremost responsibility to maintain a facility that is both physically and environmentally safe for all.”
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The boy’s parents urged a judge to grant a restraining order to allow Samuel return to school as he had not traveled outside the U.S. in two years.
The family’s lawyer, Dieter Mauch said in court:
“The bottom line is, we wish we weren’t here. Certainly, everyone has a health concern about infectious diseases, and Ebola in particular, but we can’t just act out of fear.”
“There's misinformation that's been disseminated about Ebola. Nigeria is a country that is Ebola free,” the lawyer added.
In determination of the case, Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson ordered the Mount Zion Christian Academy to readmit Samuel immediately adding that officials at the school had overreacted to concerns about the Ebola virus.