Flu hammering St. Mary schools

A St. Mary Parish Public Schools health facilitator said approximately 600 students parishwide have missed class in recent days with “flu-like symptoms.”

Lydia Duval said flu-related absences are expected, but not usually for another month.

“I’m not saying they all had the flu,” Duval said of the reported absences. “I just know they were sick.”

The parish’s school policy bars youngsters with fever from remaining in school, she explained during a presentation at last week’s St. Mary Parish School Board meeting. Students must be “fever free, which in some cases has resulted in children being absent for as much as seven days,” Duval, who is a registered nurse, explained.

Students complaining of flu-like symptoms are also separated from others, given a mask to wear and, if no one is available to pick them up from school, placed in a holding area.

“What we’ve been experiencing is a dress rehearsal, but it has allowed us to go through a much-needed process, which has allowed us to get acclimated to what could be a serious situation,” Duval said. “The best advice I can give (students and faculty) is to wash your hands.”

Since school opened in August, schools averaging a 12 percent or slightly higher absentee rate include West St. Mary High, Boudreaux Middle and Patterson High and junior high schools. Last week, Berwick High and junior high schools joined that list.

Parents wishing to learn more about the St. Mary Parish School System’s plan to treat sickness may visit the district’s Web site at www.stmary.k12.la.us.