GREENFIELD — An outbreak of the flu and strep viruses has shut down St. Michael Catholic School in Greenfield.
After 28 percent of students and 20 percent of teachers either called in or went home sick on Monday, Principal Ruth Hittel made the decision to close the school today (Jan. 28) and have children focus on studies through an e-learning day at home.
Teachers, custodians and support staff will spend the day sanitizing every surface in the school, as they started doing on Monday, Hittel said.
“Everything is being sanitized — all our doors, door handles, computer keyboards, lockers, light switches, hand railings, the door pushes to get in and out — everything,” said Hittell, who started noticing an upward trend in absenteeism last week.
This is the first time she’s ever felt compelled to shut down a school due to illness in her 20 years as an educator with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, she said.
It seemed like a necessary move Monday morning, when more than 30 students and three of the school’s 15 full-time teachers either called in or went home sick. Parents were notified of the plan to make today an e-learning day around 1 p.m. Monday.
“I made the decision to make sure we’re taking the proper steps necessary to break the cycle of the virus,” Hittel said. “So often, children come to school sick and end up being sent home. We’ve tried to remind the children that when it comes to germs, the old phrase ‘sharing is caring’ does not apply. We’ve talked about hand sanitizing, proper hand-washing and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze,” she said.
Still, precautions can only do so much in the thick of flu season, said Hittel, who is in her third year as principal of the private school at 519 Jefferson Blvd., which serves 135 students from 3 years old to eighth grade.
The school encourages a 24-hour sickness policy, meaning students are asked to not come to school until they are symptom-free for 24 hours.
“I am so appreciative of parents who want to make sure their students are in school every day to get the good education they need, but when they are sick they are not learning at their best capacity because they just don’t focus as well,” said the principal, who assures parents that teachers will work with students to make sure no one falls behind academically due to the e-learning day.
“We will help the children get their assignments made up. The best thing is to have a healthy child in school,” she said
Kelly Manning, infection prevention manager at Hancock Regional Hospital, agrees. Taking simple steps like covering your cough, properly disposing of used tissues and frequent hand washing can go a long way to fight the spread of disease, said Manning, who also encourages everyone to get a flu shot.
“It’s the best way to prevent getting the flu. Even though it can’t protect you from getting the flu 100 percent, it can protect you from getting serious complications from the flu,” she said.
