Another suspected Sars infection of a student has sparked criticism that schools are ill-equipped to properly deal with such cases Another secondary school was closed yesterday after a 13-year-old girl was suspected of having contracted Sars, prompting criticism from parents and principals over the lack of government support for schools to cope with infected cases. The Form Two student at St Teresa Secondary School in Ho Man Tin went back to school when her classes resumed this Monday but was on sick leave from the next day, said Director of Health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun at a press briefing yesterday. The girl was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The school will close from tomorrow and is scheduled to reopen on May 9. The school will continue to be a venue for the ongoing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations (HKCEE). The suspected case is the second found in schools since the resumption of classes. Po Leung Kuk Wu Chung College in Ma On Shan was shut on Monday after a 14-year-old girl was suspected of having contracted the virus. Senior secondary students returned to class last Tuesday, while Form One and Two classes resumed this Monday. Primary schools and kindergartens remain shut after all schools were closed as an anti-Sars measure on March 29. Dr Chan said that none of the other 1,293 students or 63 teaching staff at St Teresa Secondary School had shown any severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) symptoms. She added that their conditions would be closely monitored by health officials during the suspension period. While the government was yesterday still pondering when to let primary schools and kindergartens reopen, parents expressed worries that schools had not been given adequate support on how to protect their staff and students should a suspected case be found. Annie Fung Ki Mui-kuen, chairwoman of the Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations in Central and Western Districts, said that the majority of parents supported the reopening of primary schools and kindergartens in stages next week, but with the precondition that schools be given necessary emergency management guidelines. 'Many students were sent straight back home after their temperature was found to be over the limit. If they are a virus carrier, they could infect everybody along the way home. I can't think of anything that could be more dangerous than this,' she said. Ms Fung said parents were confused by the temperature limit for pupils. 'Although the bureau has set the limit at 37.2 degrees Celsius, we find that temperatures measured over different locations of the body vary a lot,' she said. Lam Seung-wan, a principal and committee member of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, said the suspected cases had prompted worries among parents. He urged the Education and Manpower Bureau to inspect primary schools and kindergartens before they reopened. Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower Cheng Yan-chee said no decision had yet been made on when primary schools and kindergartens would reopen. But he said most parents and teachers he had consulted this week supported reopening the schools in stages next week. Mr Cheng said he was positive that schools would be prepared for reopening soon. 'I believe that many schools will be ready even if we tell them to reopen on Monday. I want to emphasise that they have already been given sufficient time to prepare and take all necessary precautionary measures,' he said. Mr Cheng said he expected that most parents of primary and kindergarten pupils would abide by the requirement to check their child's temperature before school. He said the evidence showed younger secondary students were more likely to have had their temperatures checked because their parents were more aware of the health risks they faced.