Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Lakisha Craghead (from left), Laquaksha Robinson, an unidentified girl, Ashleigh Shuffler and Aaron Brill were among the 100 people who gathered Tuesday outside of Staunton River High School in Moneta in a protest over the response to a staph outbreak.

Courtesy of MySpace

Ashton Bonds died Monday after being hospitalized more than a week with a staph infection. One friend fondly recalls Ashton's Elmo T-shirt, saying it made her smile.

Related

Tips for preventing MRSA infections

Good hygiene is the best way to avoid infection from a potentially dangerous drug-resistant germ called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

This infection sometimes first appears on the skin as a red, swollen pimple or boil that may be painful or have pus. It can be spread by close skin-to-skin contact or by touching surfaces contaminated with the germ.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises:

• Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
• Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

Video: See video from Tuesday's press conference.

Related story: Study reveals breadth of staph

Guest book: Sign the guest book for Ashton Bonds

MONETA -- Ashleigh Shuffler, 16, and her classmates at Staunton River High School sent a mass of text messages Monday night, organizing a protest challenging the way school officials responded to a recent staph outbreak.

"We sent out a text to meet at the flagpole at 8 a.m.," she said.

Ashleigh and more than 100 of her peers turned out to mourn the death of a fellow student, gathering at the flagpole in front of the school on Virginia 24 as the flags flew at half-staff.

Their action had results: All 22 Bedford County schools are closed today for thorough cleanings.

Ashton Bonds died Monday after being hospitalized for more than a week with MRSA, a staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics, his mother said. He was 17.

"It's a very sad day for us here at Staunton River High School," Principal Michael Kelly said, during a news conference Tuesday. Ashton "is a student that many, many students loved dearly and the faculty loved dearly."

Ashton's mother, Veronica Bonds, said her son was hospitalized for more than a week at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital after the infection attacked his liver, kidneys, lungs and the muscles around his heart.

Ashton was put on a ventilator Thursday after the infection formed a mass in his lungs. Before doctors could operate to drain the infection, a blood clot was found near Ashton's heart, halting the surgery, his mother said.

On Tuesday, Ashleigh and a group of other students led Bedford County Public Schools Superintendent James Blevins through the school to point out "unsanitary" conditions. After the tour, Blevins decided to close the county's 22 schools today for a one-day cleanup. Schools are scheduled to reopen Thursday.

"He understands we are grieving," Ashleigh said. "I just wanted him to know we weren't going to back down."

The furor in Bedford County by coincidence came the same day the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced results of a study concluding that "invasive MRSA disease is a major public health problem," more widespread than previously believed.

In Bedford County, school officials have reported five cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in recent weeks -- two at Jefferson Forest High School and three at Staunton River High.

Students were permitted to leave Staunton River High on Tuesday before a formal announcement was made about today's closure. Kelly estimated that 150 of the school's 1,100 students left before lunch Tuesday.

Michelle Cunningham, a mother of two students at Staunton River High, said she contacted school officials about closing the school for cleaning after the first MRSA case was reported earlier this month.

"I called Kelly and Blevins and said, 'Why can't y'all just close the school and sanitize properly?' " she said.

Kelly said an outside cleaning company will be hired to disinfect Staunton River High today. The custodial staff at each of the other schools in the county will be responsible for cleaning its respective facility.

The CDC estimates 2.3 million healthy Americans are colonized with the bacteria, which first showed up in hospitals in the 1960s. There are two strains of the bacteria -- health care-associated MRSA and community-associated MRSA. According to the CDC, community-associated MRSA infections affect people who have not been hospitalized or undergone medical procedures within the past year.

Earlier this month, school officials sent letters home to parents confirming a case of MRSA at Staunton River High. The letter stated extra cleaning measures were being taken to prevent the spread of the infection.

"We feel we provided a safe and secure environment," Kelly said. He said the custodial staff focused on cleaning door jambs, door knobs and panic bars.

Virginia Department of Health spokeswoman Michelle Peregoy noted that the steps Bedford County has taken in shutting down schools and cleaning go above and beyond what health department guidelines recommend.

Kelly said while it is hard to say Tuesday's protest was positive, it is a natural way for the students to grieve.

"I do remember Ashton, always with a smile, always with a joke, laughing, cutting up with his friends," Kelly said.

Jessica Steele, a junior from Blue Ridge, remembers Ashton for an Elmo T-shirt he wore. Seeing the bright red character from "Sesame Street" made her smile, she said.

"It's tragic," said Zack Divers, a 16-year-old from Moneta.

Ashton's mother has a warning for other youths.

"Tell the kids I said be safe and be more careful," she said.

Staff writer Mike Allen contributed to this report.