On Tuesday, a letter was emailed out and posted onto the school website alerting parents, faculty and students about an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease at KPARK.

Principal Lisa Drabing confirmed on Thursday that the outbreak has grown and is being handled in the best way possible.

“When the outbreak first occurred in the athletic training room, we had (athletic trainer Daniel) Scalia disinfect the entire room,” Drabing said. “It wasn’t until Tuesday when we started getting cases of hands, foot, and mouth outside of the athletic wing.”

The letter sent to parents included information about how the disease is being treated. It’s a viral illness that is often accompanied by a fever, sore throat and painful sores in the mouth. Skin rashes often appear throughout the body, including on the palms of hands and feet.

Since it is contagious, the school took a number of precautions to disinfect the building. The nightly cleanings will continue until there are no more active cases at the school.

“We worked with (assistant superintendent) Trey Kraemer and (director of public information) Jamie Mount and the Public Health Department as well as our nurses here on campus to organize a nightly disinfecting and cleaning of the whole school,” Drabing said.

This outbreak is very unusual and is something that isn’t typical in high school, said Drabing. 

“Usually hand, foot and mouth disease breaks out in day cares and kids 1 or 2 years old, so it’s very unusual to see it here,” she said. 

Drabing says in order to avoid catching the disease, students and staff should stick to their normal health routines.

“Just keep washing your hands and covering your mouth to avoid the spread of the germs,” she said. “If you think you’ve got the sickness, just isolate yourself and make sure to get the right care.”