U-46 readies for swine flu

While the state's second largest school district has not yet seen any cases of swine flu, it has spent the last several days readying for the worst.

"We are preparing with the assumption that considering the spread that's already taken place at some point there will be cases in Illinois and in the area," Elgin Area School District U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said Wednesday.

In U-46, 42 percent of the 41,000 students are Hispanic. And spring break is a popular time for students in the district to visit family members in Mexico. Spring break took place in mid-March.

"Our spring break was so early," Sanders said. "Our students have been back now for over a month. I don't know that that would play into the potential."

Sanders said his office and the office of district safety coordinator John Heiderscheidt "have received a few calls from schools."

Attendance, as of Wednesday, was within a normal range, Sanders said.

Letters, phone and e-mail blasts have been sent out to parents and staff. The district has also been tweaking its plan for pandemic outbreaks to comply with the Centers for Disease Control's latest recommendations, Sanders said.

Those recommendations, released Tuesday, state that "dismissal of students should be strongly considered in schools with a confirmed or a suspected case."

Afterschool and child care activities should also be canceled. Parents and students are to avoid congregating outside of the school.

Following those guidelines, Rotolo Middle School in Batavia and the Marmion Academy in Aurora announced they would temporarily close after identifying one case of swine flu case on each campus.

In a Monday letter, U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres wrote that the "health department is encouraging families who have recently returned from Mexico to pay close attention to their health for seven days."