Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
By Kevin Ryden
Olney Daily Mail
Tue Oct 27, 2009, 02:24 PM CDT
Olney, Ill. -
Local schools are reporting an increase in student absenteeism, some of which is suspected as a result of the H1N1 flu virus.
East Richland Middle School has started to see a spike in absences, said Principal Andy Thomann. The school has had three calls from parents who said their children have a confirmed case of H1N1.
Thomann said a few students have gone home ill, but most have called in.
East Richland High School Principal Chris Simpson said the school does not have any confirmed H1N1 cases.
He said it is his understanding that specific testing for H1N1, which is part of the Type-A influenza group, is not being conducted unless an individual is hospitalized. However, if an individual has symptoms of influenza and tests positive for Type-A, then it is being considered that they may have H1N1.
Simpson said no ERHS students have been hospitalized.
He said that by the end of Monday, there were 92 absences at the school, which was approximately 14 percent of the student body. By 9 a.m. today, there were 64 absences, which is approximately 10 percent of the student body.
Typically, the school has a 94-percent attendance rate this time of year. Monday?s rate was at about 86 percent.
Simpson noted that not all of the absences were because of flu-like symptoms. Some students could be gone for reasons that have nothing to do with illness, he said, including a visit to a college or a family emergency.
District nurses and secretaries are tracking the number of reported cases of H1H1. When a student is called in absent, a secretary asks specific questions regarding the signs and symptoms of a child?s illness.
St. Joseph School Principal Carol Potter said she has not seen any unusual increases in absences. There have also been no reports of H1N1 at the school.
?We have not really seen anything out of the ordinary,? she said, adding that this year?s absences are similar to numbers from October 2008. ?We are kind of holding our own.?
West Richland School District Superintendent Anthony Galindo, West Richland Elementary School Assistant Principal Jennifer Tedford and school nurse Chris Williams were unavailable for comment Tuesday morning.
http://www.olneydailymail.com/news/x23525777/Schools-see-spike-in-absences
Olney Daily Mail
Olney, Ill. -
Local schools are reporting an increase in student absenteeism, some of which is suspected as a result of the H1N1 flu virus.
East Richland Middle School has started to see a spike in absences, said Principal Andy Thomann. The school has had three calls from parents who said their children have a confirmed case of H1N1.
Thomann said a few students have gone home ill, but most have called in.
East Richland High School Principal Chris Simpson said the school does not have any confirmed H1N1 cases.
He said it is his understanding that specific testing for H1N1, which is part of the Type-A influenza group, is not being conducted unless an individual is hospitalized. However, if an individual has symptoms of influenza and tests positive for Type-A, then it is being considered that they may have H1N1.
Simpson said no ERHS students have been hospitalized.
He said that by the end of Monday, there were 92 absences at the school, which was approximately 14 percent of the student body. By 9 a.m. today, there were 64 absences, which is approximately 10 percent of the student body.
Typically, the school has a 94-percent attendance rate this time of year. Monday?s rate was at about 86 percent.
Simpson noted that not all of the absences were because of flu-like symptoms. Some students could be gone for reasons that have nothing to do with illness, he said, including a visit to a college or a family emergency.
District nurses and secretaries are tracking the number of reported cases of H1H1. When a student is called in absent, a secretary asks specific questions regarding the signs and symptoms of a child?s illness.
St. Joseph School Principal Carol Potter said she has not seen any unusual increases in absences. There have also been no reports of H1N1 at the school.
?We have not really seen anything out of the ordinary,? she said, adding that this year?s absences are similar to numbers from October 2008. ?We are kind of holding our own.?
West Richland School District Superintendent Anthony Galindo, West Richland Elementary School Assistant Principal Jennifer Tedford and school nurse Chris Williams were unavailable for comment Tuesday morning.
http://www.olneydailymail.com/news/x23525777/Schools-see-spike-in-absences