Parents are reporting in comments on The Batavian that the Le Roy Central School District will hold a meeting Saturday morning to introduce report on test results performed at the Jr./Sr. school Leader Professional Services and discuss a possible round of environmental testing at the Jr./Sr. high school.
On its website, Leader describes its services: "... a full-service environmental, industrial hygiene, safety and transportation compliance services company with principal offices in the following areas: Buffalo, New York; Rochester, New York; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."
The meeting will be from 9 to 10 a.m. in the school auditorium.
Parents received an automated phone message about the meeting.
Meanwhile, Scientific America this morning published an interview with a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Michael Jenike, who said PANS (sometimes called PANDAS) could be the cause of tic symptoms in 15 Le Roy HS students.
Jenike said the disorder was once thought rare, but he believes it is more common than many doctors realize.
I used to think it was very rare, too. I've worked on OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) my whole career, and I couldn't figure out why no one could pin down what was going on with these kids who had had strep. Then the parents got me involved, and I learned a lot more. I now think PANS is extremely common — way, way more common than we thought. I get emails from parents every day whose kids have it. I don't think it is rare, is the bottom line.
The problem is, some doctors don't know about it, and some don't even think it exists, so it isn't diagnosed.
He also said he believes the age range could run higher than previously thought.
According to the article, Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, who reportedly treated 11 of the 12 girls initially reported with the illness, has said PANDAS was ruled out because it is rare and because it only afflicts young children.
UPDATE: Media release from Bill Albert, of the law firm Harris Beach.
Le Roy Central School District Community Meeting
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Place: High School Auditorium, 9300 South Street Road, Le Roy, N.Y.
Topic: As most are aware, the District has hired Leader Professional Services a highly regarded environmental, industrial hygiene, and safety consulting firm. Leader was hired to assess the testing already performed at the high school and to make recommendations for further testing at the school. Leader has completed its review and will present its recommendations for a work plan for additional testing to the parents of students in the District on Saturday, February 4 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the high school auditorium.
Presenters from Leadership Professional Services:
Michael P. Rumrill, President/CEO
Mary Ellen Holvey, CIH, Senior Industrial Hygienist
Peter von Schondorf, P.G., Senior Project Manager
Media Information Session 8:30 – 8:55 a.m.: Please join Leader Professional Services representatives and Superintendent Kim Cox at 8:30 a.m. for a media information session to preview the recommendations prior to the community meeting. This session will be held in the school’s library.
Parking: There will be no parking at the school’s parking lot. The school is hosting student Round Robin basketball games in which buses will be dropping off and picking up students throughout the day. You will be directed to park at Hartwood Park located next to the school.
This meeting is important
This meeting is important both from an informational standpoint, and for the repair of the culture of the LeRoy school and community. This situation and national media coverage have created much tension among families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors over the past few weeks. When this is all said and done and the TV crews leave town it will be up to our community to come back together as one LeRoy. There was a story in the Daily News this week about a great honor the LeRoy grade school received that got relegated to the back page of the paper due to all the other coverage on the various tic related topics. The story detailed how LeRoy was named only 1 of 3 NYS Schools of Character based on the school administrators and teachers, community, and parental involvement. This is a great honor for our community that unfortunately did not get the coverage it deserved. I think it speaks volumes to the type of people that live in our town and the leaders of our children. We need to come back together as one community, and I hope that people come to this meeting tomorrow with open minds, ask relevant questions rather than finger point, process the information provided, and we all walk away with a better understanding of how we go forward for these girls, as well as the rest of the LeRoy school students and community.
Very well said, Dan!
Very well said, Dan!
.
.