HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The father of a Connecticut third-grader filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday saying his daughter has been unfairly barred from school amid fears she may have been exposed to the Ebola virus while in Africa.
Ikeoluwa Opayemi and her family, who live in Milford, visited Nigeria for a family wedding from Oct. 2-13, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven. The suit is seeking damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act, asserting that Ikeoluwa is being discriminated against because of a "perceived impairment."
When the girl tried to return to the Meadowside Elementary School, she was told by Dr. Dennis McBride, the school district's health director, that she would have to stay home until Nov. 3 "due to concern from certain parents and teachers that she could transmit Ebola to other children," according to the lawsuit. The virus has a three-week incubation period.