Schools try to stay healthy

Absences are higher than usual in several Flathead Valley public schools this fall as students and staff struggle to stay healthy.

Schools don't always know why students miss school; many parents don't give specifics when they call to say their child is sick. Everything from pink eye to sore throats to the H1N1 virus is making the rounds in schools now.

About 12 to 13 percent, or 30 to 40 students, are missing from classrooms at Evergreen Junior High School these days, Superintendent Joel Voytoski said. But whether they're ill with swine flu is "hard to determine."

"We do have some confirmed cases of swine flu," he said. "But we don't have any reason to believe all those kids, or even the majority of them, are out sick with the swine flu."

Swine flu has hit other school districts in the state hard, including Hot Springs and Anaconda. More than 315 Anaconda students called in sick Monday, prompting officials to close school Tuesday and Wednesday.

Montana's public school students already have today and Friday off during a statewide educators' conference in Billings. The break might offer children with strained immune systems a much-needed rest.

"I'm glad that we have four days [off] coming up," said Jackie Boshka, principal of Bigfork Elementary and Middle School.

The district hasn't determined how many kids would have to call in sick for a school to temporarily close, she said.

"We're hoping not to have to shut down," she said. "It depends on ... if we have problems with bus drivers or substitutes or that kind of thing. But as long as we have kids here and have healthy adults to teach them, we will stay open."

Creston School Principal Judi Hewitt agreed.

"We would not probably close unless we didn't have enough staff," she said. "Otherwise, we would close, then a week later close for the other 25 percent [of students who hadn't been absent a week earlier], and so on and so forth."

Creston has had more absences than usual this fall, some with classic flu symptoms such as high fevers and body aches. Bigfork's absences are also a little higher than usual, although just seven students - about 7 percent - were absent from the seventh- and eighth-grade classes earlier this week. Bigfork High School had a 10 percent absentee rate.

The elementary school was hit a little harder, with 14 percent of its population - 55 students - out on Tuesday, Boshka said.

The most overwhelming part has been keeping up with homework requests, she said. The middle school is trying to post assignments on its Web site so students won't try to return to classes before they are well. Schools urge sick students to stay home for 24 hours after their fever is gone without help from fever-reducing drugs.

Absences have declined at Kalispell Middle School this week, according to attendance clerk Toni Fischer. On Tuesday, 59 students were gone, a significant improvement from earlier this month when 180 students were absent one day.

Flathead and Glacier high schools' attendance likewise has improved over the last several days, nurse Andrea Baumgardner said.

"Parents have been very good about keeping their kids out of school [when they're sick], and kids are very good about washing their hands, using hand sanitizer and being responsible," she said.

Baumgardner did not know how many students have missed school because of the H1N1 virus, but did say the schools have seen other illnesses.

"Pink eye seems to be making its rounds like it does every year. That's an automatic exclusion from school for 24 hours," she said.

The Flathead City-County Health Department doesn't know the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the county, health officer Joe Russell said

"With flu, whether it's seasonal or H1N1, once you get it in the community, there's no need to do a confirmatory test. If you do, you're spending $130 you don't really need to," he said. "If you're really getting a classical flu [with classic flu symptoms], you're getting H1N1 right now."

As of last week, every flu case in Montana was swine flu, he said. Montana's flu season typically arrives late, with a few sporadic cases starting in late autumn and full-blown flu season arriving after the new year. Ninety-nine percent of the flu cases in the country right now are swine flu, Russell said.

The Somers-Lakeside School District has seen a couple of confirmed cases of swine flu among its students but largely has avoided illness so far, Superintendent Teri Wing said. Lakeside Elementary and Somers Middle School have done what they can to minimize the spread of illness.

"We're trying really hard to have the kids washing their hands," she said. "We're not doing high fives in the classroom right now. We're discouraging kids from borrowing pencils."

But schools can only do so much in terms of prevention, Wing said, and school activities, despite their potential for spreading germs, continue.

Students still play sports. Glacier High School packed more than 900 students into the school commons area for last Saturday's homecoming dance.

Activities can't stop because of swine flu's threat, Wing said.

"We can't just have our whole lives stop," she said.

But caution is important, Russell said, especially in schools. The H1N1 virus is unique in that school-age children seem particularly susceptible, he said.

"This is a very different virus than seasonal influenza," he said. "Young kids are getting very ill. Young kids in our community are getting very ill. And this is a vaccine-preventable disease to some extent."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com