Flu not affecting local school attendance

Local News

October 20, 2009

By CHRIS HARRIS and TRICIA NEAL, Staff Writers The Commonwealth Journal Tue Oct 20, 2009, 07:56 PM EDT

Somerset — If you’re a student hoping school will be called off for the flu so you don’t have to take that big test ... you’re out of luck.

Superintendents for all three local public school systems say that as of right now, no nasty bugs are threatening to cancel classes, and that schools are maintaining relatively high attendance rates, despite rumors apparently circulating like germs, saying that school will be called off.

Pulaski County Schools Assistant Superintendent Sonya Wilds said that the county’s largest district is running about 90 percent attendance. That’s a pretty good average for every high school, middle school, and elementary school in the district. Only Oak Hill is significantly lower, its rate hovering in the mid-80s.

“We’re staying aware of illnesses and viruses going forward and watching the situation, but (attendance) is not lower than normal,” said Wilds.

It would take schools falling into the 80-85 percent attendance range to call off school most of the time. Wilds says these cases have to be monitored “day by day” during flu season, particularly with the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” making the rounds.

Somerset Independent Schools are faring only slightly worse — still not enough to warrant closure. Somerset Superintendent Dr. Teresa Wallace said attendance in her district is still in the upper-80 percent range.

“If it drops to 80 percent, we’ll start considering it,” she said.

Science Hill Independent School Superintendent Rick Walker said his one-school district has “been real lucky,” and the numbers prove him right. The school is currently seeing 95.8 percent attendance in grades K-8. That’s compared to the average 97 percent — or a dozen students absent — on a normal day.

Walker said his school is working hard to do everything that’s recommended to keep kids germ-free, coaching them on coughing or sneezing into their sleeves rather than their hands or another surface, using hand sanitizers, and staying home if sick. Hand sanitizers are made available and desks are regularly cleaned with disinfectant, he said.

Walker also said he’d do use the one-call system to let Science Hill parents know attendance is good and thank them for helping keep their young ones virus-free.

“Right now, this is a happy, healthy environment,” said Walker. “We’re trying to do all the right things. It’s easier when you’re at a small place (like this school) to be on top of everything.”

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