Chickenpox Outbreak Prompts Class Suspension at Playa del Carmen Middle School

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Eleven confirmed cases of chickenpox at Secundaria Técnica No. 33 “Vicente Guerrero,” located in the Palmas I subdivision, led the school to temporarily suspend in-person classes for second grade, group A, of the morning session, according to school director Julio Andrés Paz Mendoza.

Paz Mendoza said he holds documentation on the affected students and has already contacted state education authorities to coordinate a response. He explained that the group was pulled from the classroom after the school received authorization by telephone, and that the school is now waiting for the state Education Department to formalize the instruction in a document signed by its head or by the undersecretary.

Mother says cleared student was removed from class

The suspension became public after Cinthia Ramos reported that her son was not allowed to return to class even though, she said, his pediatrician had cleared him to do so. Ramos said the boy first showed symptoms on Oct. 28, received medical authorization to return on Nov. 4 and went to school on Monday, Nov. 9, only to be taken out of the classroom.

She said that when she went to the school the following day to hand in the medical certificate, the director refused to accept it. Ramos also raised concerns about the lack of information on the protocols the school has applied, particularly after she was told of four other possible infections. The director has not publicly responded to that complaint.

Parents call for vaccination of students

Speaking alongside representatives of parent groups, Miriam Reyes urged authorities to make it easier to vaccinate students, citing concern over new infections within the school community.

Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral illness and is among the diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.

So far, neither the Education Department nor state health authorities have issued an official position on the case beyond the telephone authorization the school says it received.