Flu closes Hancock Schools
By KURT HAUGLIE, DMG WriterHANCOCK - Although the number of students absent from Hancock Public Schools Tuesday morning wasn't high enough to close the schools, by the end of the day the number of students who went home ill with suspected H1N1 flu prompted officials to suspend classes until Monday.
Superintendent Monica Healy said at the start of classes Tuesday, the number of absences was at 16 percent of the student population, so she decided to keep school open. However, at 12:30 p.m. the rate was 21 percent, and it continued to rise.
"By about 2 p.m., we were up to 24 percent district wide," she said. "It was scary how fast (the rate) went up."
It was because of the rapid rate of increase of students reporting illness she decided to cancel classes, Healy said.
At the end of the school day she informed students to stay home for the rest of the week. Athletic and other extracurricular activities were cancelled, also.
Healy said she intends to resume classes Monday.
"We're hoping these five days will do it," she said.
Officials with the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department said 99 percent of all flu in the country is H1N1. Last week, Dollar Bay-Tamarack City Area Schools and Pelkie Elementary School closed until Monday because of high absenteeism caused by suspected H1N1. The Ontonagon School District closed late Monday morning due to illness. District officials planned to do a telephone survey with parents Thursday morning to determine if they should reopen.
Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie @mininggazette.com.
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Snowman
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10-29-09 9:27 AM
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You may discover there are a portion of these numbers that are parents that kept their "well" kids home so they wouldn't get sick. I have heard this is pervasive. Absentee numbers do not reflect the actual number of flu cases. Just absenses. Not saying there aren't a lot of people that have it. The numbers are not just accurate, that's all.
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CitizenQ
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10-29-09 6:41 AM
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It's sad that the U.P. is not immune to the national hysteria about swine flu. Fact is is that the swine flu causes no more mortality than the seasonal flu and in most cases its symptoms are mild to moderate. What it is is virulent. i.e. it is easily spread. So don't panic and be fooolish.
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alicia12349913
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10-28-09 11:37 PM
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My 6 year old sister was diagnosed today with H1N1. She is a tiny little girl who goes to Calumet Elementary. Yes schools should be closing because of this virus. It is dangerous. Believe it or not, people are dying. For anyone to say that this is nothing more than a bunch of high school kids plotting a way out of classes, well that's just plain ridiculous. Obviously this person is not well informed of whats been going on in our country when it comes to H1N1 so here's a little information for you. The vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. are occurring in younger people. In 46 percent of the cases, the patients had no underlying medical problems. Chew on that CitizenQ.
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realitycheck
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10-28-09 10:45 PM
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Foolish answers? I wasn't answering anything. I was simply commenting on your ridiculous statement..you know, where you pretend to know more than the people running the school? Then you follow up one lame comment with another that makes zero sense. Snowbound: I'm all for the freedom of speech. I however can't stand know it all's who need to second guess every decision made in our small community. Between this site and TV6's there either a lot of people that need to get a life, or there are some fantastic fishermen trolling and looking for a rise in their pathetic lives. Call me a fool, but I prefer my children healthy. I've checked temps too many times this week and anyone who has watched that thermometer climb and climb knows this is no simple game being played by the kids.
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snowbound
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10-28-09 5:33 PM
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Kids texting each other... right. Does texting explain 105-degree fevers? Can they fake that too? Realitycheck, let me add to your comment. These discussion boards have revealed to me exactly how many looney birds we have in this community. Anything that's uttered as fact gets interpreted as conspiracy. They won't believe it until their lungs are collapsing from flu and they're being rolled into the hospital.
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CitizenQ
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10-28-09 2:21 PM
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Foolish minds com up with foolish answers -Reality check
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realitycheck
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10-28-09 11:57 AM
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You beat me to it....I don't see a whole lot of elementary studunts texting each other. It's obviously running through the elementary and this needed to be done. CitizenQ simple minds come up with simple solutions. I don't understand the mentality of some of the people that post here at the gazette. Jump on anything you can to try to run someone else down...and complain about the gazette getting their facts straight, but don't hold yourself to the same standards. Pathetic!
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laneyboy
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10-28-09 11:29 AM
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Yeah, those 95 elementary kids that went home sick were a part of that texting scam. It's good that the schools closed. Keep our kids as safe as possible.
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CitizenQ
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10-28-09 11:10 AM
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Monica- The kids gamed you. They all text each other and knew that if they went home they'd get three days off - simple , eh?
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