Crane Chlamydia Scare Turns Out to Be Exaggerated
A recent report claimed the small town of Crane, Texas was suffering from a chlamydia epidemic. But as it turns out, it was all just a misunderstanding.
There were only three confirmed cases in the county, not the original 20 reported among the high school students.
Crane ISD Superintendent Jim Rumage told KWES that it was all just a misunderstanding.
"Evidently they had tested a lot of people, but they didn't have any confirmation back and we misunderstood what it was and I was just trying to be proactive," Rumage said.
But by the time Rumage corrected his mistake, the story had already went national. Sites like MTV, People, and The Washington Post used it as a platform to call for more sex education in schools.
According to the report, the school has made changes to their "abstinence only" policy towards sex education.
Perhaps the saddest part of the story is the effect it's had on the kids of Crane. In a story from Vice, Crane High School Band Director Daniel Todd said it's taken it's toll on the community.
"Some of our kids even started being mean to each other placing blame without any facts, now the town and students are trying to rally around each other saying, 'This isn't true, and we're going to stick together,'" said Todd. "It's been a very painful process."
It's unfortunate in this day and age with social media news travels fast and facts often are overlooked. The kids in this high school don't deserve to be treated the way they have been through this ordeal. Hopefully, the news that the original study was an error will travel just as quickly.