Regarding the case of 46 cases with suspected food poisoning symptoms at Dang Thuy Tram Elementary School (Tan Thuan ward) that occurred at the end of April, currently some schools have proactively temporarily suspended semi-boarding meals to wait for conclusions from functional agencies.
Schools temporarily suspending semi-boarding include: Dinh Bo Linh Primary School, Tan Hung Primary School, Tran Quoc Tuan Secondary School and Dang Thuy Tram Primary School. All 4 schools use meals provided by the same unit.
The fact that some schools stop semi-boarding meals has caused many families to fall into a busy situation of picking up and dropping off their children at noon or having to prepare meals to bring to school for their children.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Chuyen, a parent whose child studies at Dang Thuy Tram Elementary School, said that his child used to have fever after meals, but the family thought he was just normally sick, so they bought medicine for treatment themselves.
The suspension of semi-boarding meals causes families to pick up and drop off their children at noon, changes the schedule, and greatly affects work. We hope functional agencies will soon have a clear conclusion, if it is not related to meals, it should be reorganized, and if there are violations, it needs to be handled to reassure parents," Mr. Chuyen shared.
Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Phuong said she is still waiting for an official conclusion to determine the cause.
On April 24, the child came home vomiting and having a fever, but that day the school had a festival, the children ate many dishes from many sources, so it was very difficult to determine the cause," Ms. Phuong said.
After the incident, Ms. Phuong expressed her wish that the school should review the entire process, from selecting the catering unit to controlling input food, to ensure safety for students.
In addition, according to Ms. Phuong, changing the schedule is causing many inconveniences for the family when having to arrange to pick up their children at noon.
In these days, Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, a parent with two children in grades 3 and 5 at Dang Thuy Tram Elementary School, said that the family has to prepare rice and bring it to school for their children to eat at noon.
Preparing meals for children every day is somewhat inconvenient, but only temporary. I hope there will be a conclusion soon so that the children can return to eating semi-boarding meals," Mr. Phong shared.
Previously, many schools had announced timetable adjustments. Dinh Bo Linh Elementary School said it would switch to teaching one session/day because the majority of parents agreed. In the morning, more classes, students leave school later; in the afternoon, self-study at home according to the teacher's instructions.
Meanwhile, Tan Hung Primary School announced that students study in the morning, take periodic check-ups according to the plan and leave at 10:45 am, no semi-boarding is organized; in the afternoon, they study online through the LMS system.
Tran Quoc Tuan Secondary School has also announced the temporary suspension of semi-boarding from May 4 to the end of the school year, and the school applies a new timetable.
According to a recent report by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the Department requested Dang Thuy Tram Elementary School to closely monitor the health of each student.
The school continues to coordinate with the Department of Food Safety, Department of Health, Tan Thuan Ward People's Committee and relevant agencies in the process of inspection, verification, and handling of the case.
The Department of Education and Training notes that schools must provide information to ensure objectivity, consistency, and accuracy; do not arbitrarily determine or conclude the cause of the incident without an official conclusion from a competent specialized agency. The verification of the cause, sample testing, professional assessment, and conclusions related to food safety are under the authority of specialized agencies.
