Swine Flu Could Force Longer School Year

[Pathfinder]

Posted: 5:39 PM Nov 5, 2009

Swine Flu Could Force Longer School Year
Schools closed because of illness could need makeup days.


Reporter:

Associated Press

The state has told school districts across Michigan they might need to hold classes on scheduled vacation days or extend the school year if swine <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_0_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen">flu</NOBR> forces them to close for too many days.

Bob Higgins, a consultant with the state Department of <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_1_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen">Education</NOBR>, said Thursday that Superintendent Mike Flanagan last month sent a letter to schools saying educators should start thinking about the possibility.
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Higgins says schools can close for six days due to weather or other factors before having to make up time. He says districts might need to eliminate a midwinter break, for example, to meet state guidelines.
Higgins says Flanagan also raised the issue over the summer with schools.

http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/69321602.html

[Niko]

Re: Swine Flu Could Force Longer School Year

Flu causes nearly 500 schools to close


NH, Lakers closed today

By STACY LANGLEY and Kate Hessling, Tribune Staff Writers

Published: Friday, November 6, 2009 10:53 AM EST
KINDE ? Staff and students at North Huron schools were given a three day weekend when the school district canceled classes for today.


This is the third and most recent school closure in the area. The closure is being reported by the school as a preventative measure due to the number of flu-like symptoms there, the school hopes to prevent the flu from spreading to a large enough percentage of students to warrant the school closing at a later date.

Classes are scheduled to resume on Monday.

North Huron School District joins the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker School District, which also canceled classes due to the illness. Laker schools were closed on Thursday and Friday, and classes there are expected to resume on Monday as well. On Oct. 28 and 29, Caseville Public School closed due to the high percentage of student illnesses.

?The Michigan Department of Education requires that 75 percent of a school?s students be present in order to achieve a school day,? the Caseville school reported on its website.

Bad Axe Public Schools and Unionville-Sebewaing Area Schools have had two confirmed cases of H1N1, those schools have not closed due to illness. Deckerville and Cass City school districts have also had recent confirmed cases.


?The speed and length that the virus is spreading is taking a toll on schools,? said James McCurtis Jr., Michigan Department of Community Health spokesman.
McCurtis said 46 schools were closed on Thursday alone. Since Sept. 1, 492 schools have temporarily closed because of influenza.


Bob Higgins, of the Michigan Department of Education, said weather permitting, the number of school closures because of the flu should not present a problem for many school districts in terms of running out of days that school can be canceled.

?Because we?re so early in the school year, there?s still plenty of time ... unless we have a tremendously bad winter,? he said, noting schools have 30 hours ? or six days ? of waiver time, meaning classes do not have to be rescheduled on a later date.

He said even as early as this summer, the department of education has been in communication with schools reminding districts to be prepared for the flu season. The department recommended schools consider cutting vacations short or extending the school year later into the summer if school has to be canceled for more than six days because of illness or the weather.

?We?ve been saying all along that the decision to close schools is a local decision made at the local level,? Higgins said, adding the department has encouraged schools to work with local public health officials and use assistance available from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in making decisions as to when to close school.


But, he said, schools can not count a day of instruction if attendance across the district does not hit 75 percent.

?So there is that consideration for some schools,? Higgins said.

http://www.michigansthumb.com/articles/2009/11/10/news/local_news/doc4af444f3d0f73408433480.txt