Two students from Morton School District 709 are being tested for possibly having the H1N1 flu virus.
Superintendent Roger Kilpatrick sent a letter home with students Oct. 13 informing parents that one student at Morton High School and one student at Lincoln Elementary School were absent from school with a Type-A flu virus that could be H1N1.
The school district is working with the Tazewell County Health Department to monitor the situation, but all schools remain open and are operating normally.
Kilpatrick said the safety and well-being of all students and employees is the top priority, and they are working to minimize the effect of H1N1 in the schools.
“We have taken additional steps in each of our schools with proactive cleaning practices, in addition to reminders to staff and students about ways to prevent spreading illness,” Kilpatrick said in the letter.
Kilpatrick added the best way to reduce the spread of the virus is to practice good hygiene and keep children home from school until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever.
“Students who come to school with flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by school staff, and, when necessary, sent home,” Kilpatrick said.
Sara Sparkman, community relations manager at the health department, said staff have been readying their H1N1 plan for several months, so the news that it has hit Tazewell County was not a shock.
“We’ve been hearing there is an influenza-like illness not just in the schools, but in the community. We are encouraging people to stay home if they’re sick,” Sparkman said.
Sparkman added while they don’t receive actual test results, health department officials are informed when a patient in a doctor’s office tests positive for Influenza Type A.
“Since the symptoms are so similar, the person is just diagnosed with H1N1. We also have the schools giving us weekly reports for student absences or excessive visits to the school nurse,” Sparkman said.
“However, we do know there are lots of people sick that don’t necessarily have the flu,” Sparkman added.
Kilpatrick said student absence numbers at the elementary schools have been a little above average, ranging from 25 to 50 percent and most children experiencing flu-like symptoms.
The high school’s absent numbers are a little over 25 percent, but Kilpatrick said not all of the reasons are flu-related.
Sparkman said they had already scheduled H1N1 clinics at three Morton schools for the students and faculty.
