Several schools across Mississippi closed in recent weeks amid large outbreaks of influenza and other illnesses. The closures came as flu cases surged statewide to the highest levels in over a year.
St. Andrews Episcopal School closed its upper school campus in Ridgeland, Miss., on Thursday, Jan. 30, and Friday, Jan. 31, after a significant portion of the student body was either absent or had to leave school due to illnesses earlier that week.
“We realized on Wednesday that we had a problem,” St. Andrews Associate Head of School for Advancement and Community Relations Stephanie Garriga told the Mississippi Free Press.
“I would say we’ve been experiencing students who have been sick all week, but we really hit a threshold when a third of our student body in Upper School, nine through 12, had the flu and other students were contracting it—because it’s contagious—and going home in the middle of the day,” she said.
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Garriga said on Jan. 30 that a large number of students at the lower, middle, and early childhood programs located on the Jackson campus were out sick. During the day, several others left with fever and symptoms.
“They had been in class exposing other children to their symptoms and the flu,” she said. “We made the decision then to go ahead and allow our lower school, our early childhood program and our middle school to stay home (Friday) and the weekend to rest and recover.”
West Union Attendance Center in Myrtle, Miss., also closed Thursday, Jan. 30, and Friday, Jan. 31, “due to widespread illness among students and staff.” WTVA News reported that 214 students were absent due to illness on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Both schools canceled all sports and extracurricular activities for the days they were closed. West Union would have hosted Itawamba AHS for its Senior Night Basketball game. Its Facebook page said the senior night activities would happen at a later date. .
St. Andrews is planning to make up the missed activities at a later
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