Several School Systems Closing Due to Flu Outbreak

| February 7, 2018 

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The flu outbreak is forcing several school systems in the northern part of the state to close for a few days. This comes as high absences are reported in schools across the state and health officers investigate an estimated 87 deaths, potentially related to the flu.

The following school systems have confirmed closings for the following dates:

  • Albertville City Schools – Feb. 8th-9th
  • Boaz City Schools – Feb. 8th-9th
  • Cullman County Schools – Feb. 8th-9th
  • Guntersville City Schools – Feb. 8th-9th
  • Marshall County Schools – Feb. 8th-13

Students in Cullman County won’t be in school the rest of this week. About a thousand students were out with the flu Wednesday. Superintendent Shane Barnett says teachers and support staff are out too. The school system, just north of Birmingham, has 9,500 students. Barnett says he’s never had to shut the system down because of illness, but this time he had to do something.

“You know we have a lot of parents who are wore out from their kids having the flu and struggling with that. And some of them are getting better and coming back with weakened immune systems and they’re getting the flu again,” he says, “so I just feel like we’ve got to try something.”

The empty schools will be scrubbed down with disinfectants. Barnett says he’ll reassess the situation on Monday.

 

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