School District Monitoring Increase in Students Out for Flu-Like Symptoms

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District is monitoring the number of student absences daily after seeing an increase in the number of students out last week due to flu-like symptoms.

Superintendent Margaret Hayes said today that the district has seen a slight increase in absences across the board, not at one particular school, but that it's "not enough to warrant closing the schools" and that there have been no confirmed cases of H1N1, swine flu, yet.

Last Thursday, the district sent a letter to parents notifying them of the increase in absences and asking them to keep their children at home for seven days if they display flu-like symptoms.

"We feel it is important to alert you that within the last week we have seen an increase in student absences due to flu, bronchitis and strep," Thomas Beese Jr., director of Special Services, wrote in the letter. "While we have NOT had a confirmed case of H1N1 (Swine influenza), we are continuing to monitor the reasons for students' absences. This recent increase dictates that we intensify our response."

As a result, Beese said that the school district is instituting the Center for Disease and Control guidelines:

"Students, faculty or staff with influenza-like illness (fever with a cough, sore throat, headache, vomiting, diarrhea or body aches) should stay home and not attend school or go into the community except to seek medical care for at least 7 days even if symptoms resolve sooner."

Hayes said the increase was noticed after the parents of the absent students told the school nurses that their children were displaying flu-like symptoms.

The school district is working closely with the Union County Department of Health to monitor the situation. While there have been no confirmed cases yet, Hayes said that even if one is reported it won't mean an automatic closure of that school.

"We would be sharing information with the health department and making a determination based upon various guidelines," she said.

Across the area, other school districts have been dealing with similar situations.

The Lincoln School in Westfield was closed last week after six students and two teachers were absent with a "flu-like illness." Schools Supt. Margaret Dolan said that the students were all in the same class of 15 and comprised a 40 percent absence rate for one class. The school was closed Monday and Tuesday for a thorough cleaning. No cases of H1n1 have been confirmed at this point.

In Millburn, two cases of swine flu were confirmed last week at Millburn Middle School, prompting the district to close the school on Friday for sanitization, and to institute a similar cleaning for all other schools over the weekend. Swine flu was confirmed in two seventh graders, who the district has reported are "doing well."

Last week, the World Health Organization declared H1N1 a pandemic, meaning that the outbreak is unstoppable.

New Jersey health officials also reported last week that there are 226 confirmed cases in the state, with 95 probable cases that are awaiting confirmatory testing. There are reported cases in 18 of the state's 21 counties. Seven confirmed cases are in Union County.