The Garden City Telegram
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Schools seeing more sick students
Published 10/14/2009 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
At the beginning of flu season, school districts are seeing more students absent from classes because of illness and are sending many of them home with flu-like symptoms.
At Garden City USD 457, there were 568 students out of class on Monday, which is about 7.6 percent of the district's 7,455 students, Roy Cessna, public information coordinator for the district, said. That's slightly higher than the amount of students who were sick last week, which was 7.5 percent.
Other school districts also are seeing many ill students.
In Lakin, Barbara Woodrow, registered nurse for the school district, said she is sending home three or four sick students each day. She said just less than 6 percent of the district's students are absent because of illness.
Sick students' symptoms include headaches, fever and sore throats, along with some stomach aches, Woodrow said.
Becky Meng, school nurse for Holcomb USD 363, said the district is seeing an increase of students who are sick at the beginning of flu season, but said hopefully those numbers will start decreasing. In Holcomb, there were 121 students out of class because of illness on Tuesday. That's about 12.5 percent of the district's 967 students.
In Scott City, about 10 percent of the district enrollment is home sick, said Superintendent Don Wells. The school district is seeing children with low grade fevers and sinus problems, said Janette Storm, school nurse. She also said students are sent home if they have a fever or are getting sick.
Storm said most of the students are out for a day or two before feeling better.
Joe Hopkins, Western Pyramid regional coordinator who works with health departments in southwest Kansas, said school districts are working with health departments to keep track of how many children are missing classes because of illness. The health departments then forward that information to the state, he said.
He said health departments are looking into the possibility of vaccinating students in schools, but he said that's still in the planning stages because there aren't enough vaccinations available to do so.
It's not certain what type of flu students might have, but with the flu season starting, Woodrow said it's best to keep sick children at home.
"Some come to school with a 101-degree temperature," Woodrow said. "Definitely keep your child at home."
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