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Wrestling room clean, FUHSD says

Fallbrook High School administrators have reported that an investigation into the sanitary condition of the school's wrestling room has been concluded, after parents addressed their concerns to the district's board of trustees at their April 27 and May 11 meetings.

According to Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD) superintendent, Dr. Hugo Pedroza, "FUHSD has conducted a thorough investigation regarding claims by some parents that the high school's wrestling room was the source of a 'ringworm epidemic,' affecting more than 30 athletes."

"FUHSD hired Andrew Bryson​, a certified industrial hygienist to fully assess the wrestling room for ringworm and other related issues," explained Pedroza, who submitted Bryson's findings below.

"The space is clean, orderly and all necessary safety and health equipment is in place as required by health and safety standards," wrote Bryson. "Perhaps, the review and compliance with safety, health and personal hygiene recommendations suggested in the Centers for Disease information sheets conveyed to the citizens concerned will clarify their presumed cause and effect allegations and assumptions. The facility is not the source of the fungal infestation."

According to Pedroza, the district "will continue to adhere to CIF safety and cleanliness standards for wrestling athletes and facilities."

"In addition, FUHSD will continue to work with wrestling club organizations who rent our wrestling room to continue to maintain high standards of safety and cleanliness," he said.

Pedroza said it is important for parents of wrestlers to refer to the 2014-2015 CIF Wrestling Preview to learn more about skin health and wrestling, proper grooming, skin check protocols, and the medical releases necessary for wrestlers to participate when skin lesions are noticed.

Paula Musso, one of the parents who had addressed the board, said, after learning the result of the investigation, "No matter what, there was a negligence in the wrestling room. Children and adults were affected and at this time some still are suffering. These protocols/procedures should have been in effect years ago. Regardless of the findings fact is fact."

"I also have an email from the athletic director saying that maintenance had cleaned the room

," she said. "It's sad that there was no accountability from the very beginning from these school officials. Hopefully they will follow through with these procedures and protocols. Perhaps they should start the new school year with new mats!"

Parent Lora Torres, who also had addressed the board, said she and other parents were also aware that the school had cleaned the room before the inspection took place.

"But I don't care, because the most important thing is that the room is clean and protocols are being put in place," said Torres. "My son is still on medication for a few weeks for ringworm."

Gary Backe, the president of the Fallbrook Wrestling Association and the Warrior Wrestling Club for youth, said, in his opinion, parents and their children need to become better educated on how to prevent ringworm.

"Regarding the increased outbreak of the ringworm fungus this year, and more specifically the last five months of the season – after speaking with the school's administration, athletic department, facilities department and the coaching staff, I believe that this situation is directly related to our fast growth and the number of kids in our programs," said Backe. "At the beginning of the season, I handed out an information packet that detailed the common skin issues related to wrestling, their identification, and the personal hygiene responsibilities of every athlete. A big portion of mitigating any issues with skin infections is through a four-step process; education, prevention, identification and action. I am currently working with the district and administration to take the handout I provided this season and develop it into a more comprehensive four-step program."

"At the high school level, there are regulations in place set forth by CIF that require athletes to be subjected to a thorough full body skin check by a referee before all sanctioned events," he continued. "We, as coaches, also performed this same skin check on a weekly bases, any questionable skin issues are sent to the athletic trainer of the school for confirmation and then the appropriate action is taken. This did not eliminate the issue completely, no wrestling program is immune from some level of skin infection, but it helped us control it before it got out of control. Unfortunately there is not the same level of skin check procedures at the kids level, some events perform full body checks others only check exposed skin, this means that the responsibility falls upon the parents and us coaches to help identify any issues."

"[Some parents] take all precautions, and I can verify that almost all parents were, unfortunately it only takes one or two cases to slip by, either because it is not caught or a parent is unaware of what to look for and the fungus will begin to spread," said Backe. "With the large growth of our program, it will be more likely that an infection will slip by the parents and coaches. This four-step program will target those gaps and help us to insure that we are protecting everyone that walks through our doors as we move into next season."

 

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