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(a) All children may be excluded for a period (1) from a whole school; or
(2) from a particular department of a school, boys', girls', mixed, or infants';
or (3) from a particular class of a department. These forms of exclusion are
generally spoken of as "school closure," meaning total temporary exclusion.
(ib) Partial temporary exclusion, or the exclusion of certain children from a
class, may also be of different kinds, (li Children actually suffering from
infectious disease; (2) children sleeping in the same bed or room as a child or
adult suffering from infectious disease; (3) children sleeping or living with the
same family, or in the same dwelling, as a person suffering from infectious
diseas; (4) children living in the same house as a person suffering from
infectious disease; (5) children living in the same building, but not in the same
house or self-contained and air approached flat; (6) children who have not
already had the. disease; (7) children who have not passed the more susceptible
age for the disease.
It is desirable, first of all, to show the opinions that have been reached with
regard to school closure, or total temporary exclusion, and then to pass on to
consider partial temporary exclusion.
In a report by Dr. C. J. Thomas, Assistant Medical Officer (Education),
London County Council, upon Measles in the Borough of Woolwich, published
as an Appendix to the Annual Report of the Medical Officer (Education),
London County Council, for the year ending -31st March, 1905, some general
conclusions were drawn.
"The general conclusions which the inquiry seems, as a whole, up to the
present, to justify are: —
"I. Meisles, at present, in London only spreads in classes under
5 years of age, except in certain better-class districts. Seventyfive
per cent. of children above 5 in Infants' Departments are
protected.
"2. Measles tends to spread whenever a class accumulates unprotected
members to the extent of between 30 per cent. and
40 per cent., and when spread has begun, it continues until the
proportion is reduced to between 15 per cent, to 20 per cent.
unprotected.
"3. If children under 5 were excluded from school, closure for
measles would not be necessary for some time in London, except
in one or two special districts. If, however, this were successful
in postponing attacks, the question would again become acute
in a few years.
"4. To deal efficiently with measles accurate knowledge is required;
the measles history should be elicited for each child on admission
to school. This should be done universally; if notification to
School Authority was made compulsory oil every parent whose
children attended school our hands would be greatly strengthened.
Unless the amount of susceptible material is fairly accurately
known for each school we shall only be working in the dark as
heretofore, and nothing of any value can be expected to accrue
from our methods.