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Last updated 9:56 am CT February 09, 2010.
Eldorado School District Closed Due to Flu-Like Illness
All Eldorado district students and staff will receive an automated message from Superintendent Gary Siebert. That's because, many students are already out with the flu. Absence is obvious in each of the classrooms.
"(The) first three hours I saw four or five people go home already," explains freshman Derek Hargrave.
And, Siebert says, the number grows by the minute...
"All day its been going up."
So much so, Siebert says, he had to make the call- Thursday and Friday are sick days. Or, more officially, 2 emergency days.
"So that leaves us 3 days left for ice and snow."
Siebert says, the school shouldn't see a negative impact from taking those days, but he admits, in all his years teaching...
"We're kinda treading on new (ground). (I've) been doing this a long time but this is new."
Siebert says, because so many siblings attend district schools, it wouldn't make sense to close only one.
"We're really hoping with this, that we'll get it through our community and get it out of the way, and we have school the rest of the year."
So, while some students may have sympathy pains for their peers...
"I feel good right now, but I do have a headache," Derek laughs, "No flu."
And parents have mixed feelings...
"I'm pretty sure that it's the best policy," says parent Ashley Lloyd. Everybody needs to go to the doctor and get healthy and all come back to school when we're well."
But another parent, Tammy Kemper, has a different idea, "I think its ridiculous that they cancelled school."
Either way, Siebert says, better safe than sorry...
"Its possible we are overacting, but i'd prefer to over react rather than not react at all."
School officials in nearby Harrisburg are also seeing some illness -- but will not be shutting down. As for the swine flu, the Egyptian Health Department says Saline County confirmed it's first case of swine flu on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Perry County Health Department reports three people in Perry County have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. They include an infant, a man in his 40's and a grade school student.
By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com
Now: 1265731565
