A Long Island middle school teacher has been diagnosed with MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that does not respond to typical antibiotics.
Parents were notified in a letter sent home with students in the Lindenhurst district.
"We got a letter but they didn't identify the teacher," said parent Laura Ehrlic. "So we don't know who it is, although none of my daughter's teachers are absent, so I know she's not directly exposed."
The condition of the teacher was not immediately known. The teacher is being kept off campus during the course of treatment, and will not return to work until cleared by doctors, officials said.
School district officials emphasized they believed the situation was contained and say the risk of transmission is minimal.
Symptoms of a staph infection include red, swollen and painful areas on the skin.
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