Student tells teacher she was exposed to Ebola so she wouldn't get in trouble for missing class

"I might have Ebola" is the new "My dog ate my homework." To avoid getting in trouble for missing a class, a student at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, told her instructor she had been quarantined due to possible exposure to Ebola.

When explaining why she had been absent, the student announced that her family had been quarantined and her sister was in the hospital. School officials quickly cordoned off the building she was in and sent out a text message alerting students and staff, Public Information Officer Lillian Leopold said in a statement.

As all of this was happening, rumors began to swirl on social media that the student had been flying on the same airplane as the nurse in Texas who tested positive for Ebola, ABC7 reports. A nurse came to check the student, who was found to not have any flu-like symptoms. After her examination, the student recanted, and said no one in her family was quarantined or in the hospital, and she just didn't want to get dropped from the class. "This is now a student conduct matter and will be treated in accordance with the district's policy and procedures," Leopold said.

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