PHILLIPS — A teacher at Strong Elementary School who recently attended a conference in Dallas has been required to take a 21-day leave of absence, after parents told SAD 58 directors Thursday night that they were concerned the teacher could have been infected with the Ebola virus.

The board requested the teacher not be named publicly.

A dozen parents asked directors why they weren’t informed sooner and more clearly that the teacher had flown to and from Dallas recently.

The teacher was selected this past summer to represent the state at a national conference, Superintendent Erica Brouillet said. The trip was planned long before the city became the center of international attention because of three Ebola cases, she said.

Parent Matt Dexter asked the board and administrators why only Strong school parents, rather than parents in the entire district, had been notified of the possible danger that the teacher could had been exposed to the virus.

“This is not a virus spread by airborne causes,” said Dr. Ann Schwink, a board member from Strong.