School officials collaborating with the Newtown Health District have closed Reed Intermediate School and cancelled classes for the remainder of the year, citing a flu outbreak. While not specifically citing the H1N1 or swine flu virus as the culprit, Health Director Donna Culbert has already stated that anyone exhibiting flu like symptoms this late in the year is likely suffering the effects of N1H1.
Ms Culbet said Thursday that she had a conversation with school nurses and the Newtown Public Schools Central office regarding "what appears to be H1N1 affecting some of the students who attend the Reed Intermediate School."
School board members Katherine Fetchick and Anna Weidemann both confirmed to The Newtown Bee Sunday, June 20, that a voice message system was used to notify any households affected that the Reed School is closed Monday through Wednesday, and will only be open Thursday to permit students to pick up effects from their lockers and classrooms, Ms Fetchick said.
While Ms Fetchick said the voice message indicated the reason behind the action was a flu, it was not specifically identified by Superintendent Janet Robinson as a swine flu or H1N1 outbreak. Ms Weidemann said both students and at least one staff member might be affected, and that the school was exhibiting four times more absences last Friday, than is the norm for this period of the year.
At the time of this report, Ms Culbert said she had been conferring with school officials on possibly closing the facility, but was unavailable to confirm whether or not the district had been informed of the closings. Ms Culbert said two days earlier that Newtown only had a single confirmed case of H1N1.
"...I do not have any information about additional confirmed cases in our community," Ms Culbert said June 18, reinforcing the state's recent confirmation of a single diagnosed case in a middle-aged resident with no children in the school system.
"However, testing guidance and protocols have changed for the doctors and, as such, we may not get confirmation on people who are experiencing influenza-like illness," the health director continued. "It is reasonable to believe that H1N1 is in our community and has affected some of our school children. What's most important is that those individuals get proper care and stay home when they are sick."
Reed Intermediate School Nurse Pat Philipp concurred saying, although there can be no clinical diagnosis for cases of H1N1, it is best for parents to notify the school when their child is sick and what symptoms the student is showing.
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