School Nurse Forced by Superintendent to Compile List of Students with HFM Disease
- Amber Wood, a school nurse in Illinois, was forced to compile a list of students with Hand, Foot, and Mouth from the Superintendent.
- Superintendent Timothy Farquer was charged with official misconduct for accessing and sharing the information.
- Andrea Long and Amber Norton, two IT professionals, were also charged.
Amber Wood, a school nurse at Mercer County School District in Illinois, was recently pressured by the Superintendent to release student health records. She refused, citing that it violated student privacy laws.
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In September, Wood reported a hand, foot, and mouth disease outbreak to the county health department. Wood also notified her principal and the Superintendent, Timothy Farquer, 53.
Farquer asked Wood, via email, to compile information about the students, including a spreadsheet that included names, contact information, and vaccination history for the students. Farquer also specifically asked Wood to make a list of students who are not vaccinated against measles. When Wood questioned this directive as well, Farquer told the board that he was going to place a letter in Wood's employment file.
KWQC6 News obtained the emails between Wood and Farquer via the Freedom of Information Act.
“Since it is often not diagnosed until the rash appears – and by that point the student is often cleared to return to school – it’s unclear how helpful this data is for proactive health measures,” she wrote.
Wood asked for clarification on why the information regarding the students was important, but was simply told that it was an “order” and threatened her job if she didn’t make the list. “This is my third email on this topic. Please consider this a directive,” he wrote. “Assemble and share a spreadsheet of our HS Hand, Foot and Mouth cases, including date confirmed, name, grade, address, phone, primary contact, known school activities, whether or not they are a bus rider, & anything else of relevance. Share that with me by noon Friday.”
Accusations
Farquer was arrested in September, as well as Mercer County School District IT workers Amberly Norton and Andrea Long. Wood made a formal complaint to the school board and the Aledo Police Department. Aledo Police Department Detective Lindsey Kenney testified in court that Farquer was accused of creating a Google Drive spreadsheet. Farquer then shared the spreadsheet with other nurses in the school district and a teacher who serves as a union representative for the teachers’ union.
Broken Laws
Wood initially protested creating the spreadsheet and sharing the information because of HIPAA laws. She was also worried about breaking the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA). The Act allows schools to share student health records with staff who have “a legitimate educational interest,” without parental consent.
Official Statement and Charges
After Farquer's arrest, the Mercer County School District Board of Education released the following statement:
“Under the Illinois School Student Records Act (“ISSRA”), student health records are explicitly defined as part of the student’s school record. Their use by teachers, school nurses, and support staff is not only common but necessary to meet the educational and developmental needs of our students. Moreover, the management of these records—including secure digital access—is administered by the district’s IT department, consistent with best practices and statutory obligations."
Farquer, Long, and Norton have all been charged with,
- Class A misdemeanor of unauthorized access to medical records
- Class A misdemeanor of computer tampering
- Class 3 felony of official misconduct
All have pleaded not guilty and are facing up to five years in prison if convicted. Farquer remains on paid administrative leave.
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