BUFFALO TWP — One case of MRSA has been confirmed at the Freeport School District, but the schools remain open.

Superintendent Ian Magness said Wednesday afternoon that one individual at the high school has methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria, is typically found in hospitals or health care facilities. It is spread by skin-to-skin contact and through the sharing of items like towels, razors, athletic equipment and drug paraphernalia.

The individual was not identified, but the person’s doctor did confirm the case with the district, Magness said.

Letters were sent home to parents Wednesday afternoon, and the school was heavily cleaned while students were still on spring break on Monday and Tuesday, Magness said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we engaged on a pretty vigorous disinfecting spree,” he said.

The incident was isolated to the high school, so the letter asks parents and students to be extra cautious.

Magness said this morning that the community response has been mostly supportive due to the transparency and quick communication of the district.

“It was the right thing to do,” he said, on the district’s open communication.

Magness called the MRSA case at Freeport “completely coincidental” with the case reported at the Butler County Community College on Tuesday night.

BC3 closed Tuesday night and all day Wednesday to clean and reopened this morning.

School closures are usually not necessary, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

In addition, individual cases of MRSA are not reportable diseases in Pennsylvania, so the district is not required to notify state officials. However, the state does require that outbreaks of the infection be reported.

MRSA typically is a boil or abscess, but it can also cause more serious infections like blood stream infections or pneumonia.