A report monitored on Reuters says Stephen Opayemi, a Nigerian, has sued a Connecticut elementary school on Tuesday for discriminating against and banning his 7-year-old daughter from school for 21 days based on irrational fears of Ebola because she attended a wedding in Nigeria.
In the case referenced Ikeoluwa Opayemi v. Milford Public Schools and City of Milford, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, No. 3:14-cv-01597 filed with the Federal Court in New Haven, Opayemi asked the judge to order the schools in Milford, Connecticut, to immediately permit his daughter to return to her third-grade class. Opayemi's suit was filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The law prohibits discrimination based on someone having a physical or mental impairment, or on the belief that someone has such an impairment.
Reuters reports that Opayemi's daughter has not experienced any symptoms associated with Ebola and her health is fine, but parents and teachers were concerned she could transmit Ebola to other children, the lawsuit says.
The Connecticut third-grader, Ikeoluwa Opayemi, traveled to and from Lagos, Nigeria, between Oct. 2 and Oct. 13, according to the lawsuit. Her father, a native of Nigeria, also went.
Nigeria had 20 Ebola cases and eight deaths this year before the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free on Oct. 19. The epidemic is centered in three other West African countries, where about 5,000 people have died: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. New York and New Jersey have insisted on mandatory quarantines for travelers arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone who had contact with Ebola patients.
Although the mother declined to discuss details of the lawsuit, citing the advice of the family's attorney, she said they had lived in Milford for more than six years. Asked if she was surprised by the school system's actions, she nodded in agreement, reports Reuters.
"We're hoping this will get her back into school as soon as possible," the girl's mother, Ikeolapo Opayemi, said in a brief interview at their home.
According to Reuters, City and school officials told Ikeoluwa not to return to school until Nov. 3, the suit says.
You can read the rest of the story on Reuters.
Source: Reuters
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