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Local News - December 2003 |
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Schools hit hard by absences |
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Published December 12, 2003 |
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By SARAH GRANO, Staff Writer ———————————— The flu has struck Lincoln County Schools just in time to ruin chorus concerts and exam studying. “This is obviously a terrible time for it to be occurring,” said Mitch Eisner, principal at Catawba Springs Elementary School. Teachers and students in all parts of the county have gone home sick with fevers, aches and running noses. During the past week some schools have had over 100 students stay home from school. At S. Ray Lowder a preschool class of 18 only had four students attend. Staff has been less affected than students, but many have fallen ill. “Our substitute pool has been very active here,” said Lyle Back, coordinator of community schools. “We’re having a good number of teachers out.” Teachers at many schools have encouraged students to stay home, especially if they have had a fever in the past 24 hours. Because of the time of year, many high school students have come to class before they’ve fully recovered. “I think students are worried about exams,” said Todd Black, principal of East Lincoln High School. “They’re making sure they’re here to get all those last minute reviews in.” Elementary schools have been especially hard hit by the flu. Love Memorial Elementary had just recovered from a chicken pox outbreak when students started getting the flu. “It’s close quarters,” said Diand Canipe, principal of Love Memorial. “They touch each other and hug each other and share things.” Teachers at the school have made a special effort to make sure students thoroughly wash their hands. They also wipe down surfaces as often as possible. School closes for winter break in a week, and many hope that the flu outbreak will end with it. “When we’re all out of the building and away from each other that will help,” said Pat Moretz, principal of Lincolnton High School. In the mean time, students have exams to study for and Christmas concerts to perform. Thankfully, many schools have seen the high number of absences decrease over the past few days, and they hope the numbers will continue to decline. ————— Staff Writer Sarah Grano can be reached at 704-735-3031 or sgrano@ltnews.com
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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