KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Some Kiowa County Schools to Remain Closed Friday

Some Kiowa County Schools to Remain Closed Friday

Update:

Classes are now cancelled Friday as well for some USD 422 schools.

From the Greensburg school district website:

Classes at DDE (elementary school) and KCJH (junior high) will be dismissed on Thursday, October 22nd and Friday, October 23rd due to illness.

Classes will resume on Monday, October 26th! KCJH basketball practices will begin on Monday.

Please note: Greensburg High School WILL hold classes each day this week.

By Kim Wilhelm (GREENSBURG, Kan.)

Some Kiowa County students are getting some time off school...because too many kids are sick.  Elementary and middle school students in Greensburg and Mullinville are out through Thursday. 

The superintendent says the decision was made after consulting with county health officials.

"It's not just that you have half the kids, a lot of times you have half the staff too, because a staff member may be ill or have a child at home ill." said Superintendent Darin Headrick. "When you're really hitting on half your cylinders, it's better to get everybody healthy get everybody ready to go and be productive when you are in school."

It's unknown whether the kids are down with seasonal flu, H1N1, just a nasty cold bug or a combination of them all.  Parents with sick kids tell us, they're glad class is out.

Classes at the high school are still in session.  Absentee numbers show only about 10% of the students are sick, which is pretty common for this time of year.

School officials say, the sickness seems to be hitting younger kids.  They hope to stop the spread with a few days off.

"You are contagious before you have symptoms," Headrick said. "So kids at school feeling fine but yet they are able to expose other kids.  Really the only way to stop that is have everyone who is sick be home.  And everyone who doesn't know they are sick be home.  Hopefully we can cover it that way."

The district may extend the cancellation through Friday.  They hope the extra time pays off next week with classrooms of kids who are well and ready to learn.