Flu closes U.P. schools

Posted: 10.20.2009 at 7:50 AM

Rapid River, Holy Catholic closed

For most kids, two days off of school in the middle of the week is a cause for celebration. But not if you're home with the flu.

Over a 25% of the students called in or went home sick at Rapid River schools and Holy Name Catholic School in Escanaba on Monday, causing them to close their doors on Tuesday, and remain closed through Wednesday.

Custodial staff at both schools spent the day cleaning frequently used surfaces, like desks, keyboards and lockers.

"We had about 50 kids gone when the schools started", said Holy Name Catholic School Principal, Joseph Carlson. "A lot of kids calling in sick, and by about 10:30 we were up to 70 kids. It ended up being about 70 kids for the rest of the day, which is about 28% of our student body."

Coincidentally, staff with the Public Health, Delta, Menominee County had already planned to meet with Rapid River administrators on Tuesday to make plans for an H1N1 clinic, when the vaccine becomes available.

"(The) recommendations are that they can still be vaccinated, because the children are not being tested to confirm it's H1N1", said Emergency Preparedness Director, Mark Weber. "There are other diseases that may mimic the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a person is contagious with influenza 5 to 7 days after they present symptoms.

Health department officials recommend that parents keep their sick child home at least 24 hours after their fever breaks.

As for MEAP testing this week, both schools will have to make up test days next week.

So far only a few teachers have reported signs of sickness.

11:30 a.m. - October 20, 2009 - Escanaba

Custodial crews are now cleaning high contact areas, like door knobs, keyboards, and drinking fountains. Normal cleaning also took place when students sent home yesterday.

Both Holy Name and Rapid River schools will remain closed tomorrow, and re-open on Thursday.

I've been told that other schools are also reporting students with flu-like symptoms so I'm going to check that out.

I'll tell you what I find later on today.

7:45 a.m. - October 20, 2009 - Newsroom

I'm leaving for Rapid River in a few minutes for a story on influenza and school closings. Rapid River Schools and Holy Name Catholic School in Escanaba are both closed today because a large number of their student body is sick with the flu. I'll find out how the district disinfects the buildings and when they plan to reopen. Check back soon for an update.

And, as always, for the latest school closing information, rely on UpperMichigansSource.com's School Closings Page.