Flu hammers Tennessee district so hard it’s shutting down schools to disinfect
The flu and stomach viruses have crippled students, teachers and bus drivers in one Tennessee school district — so much so that it’s shuttering for a day to recover, officials said Tuesday.
Hawkins County Schools will be closed Friday while staff disinfect, Director Matt Hixson posted on the district’s Facebook page.
“Our staff will use Friday, January 31 to thoroughly clean and disinfect all classrooms, common areas, cafeterias and buses,” the post states. “Parents, please make use of the day and long weekend to allow students to rest and regain some strength while at home. School site staff, please rest and prepare for next week.”
Attendance at schools in Hawkins County — which is about 30 miles from the North Carolina border — remained at around 92 percent after Christmas break, Hixson said.
That is until recently, when it dropped dramatically.
Several schools reported attendance rates falling to nearly 80 percent, according the post. That means roughly one in five students have been out sick.
Teachers, staff and bus drivers have also been affected, Hixson said.
He attributed it to “both the flu and the stomach viruses at this time.”
“I appreciate everyone’s patience as we have monitored student and staff attendance rates and have collaborated with health professionals,” the post states.
The flu has hit children particularly hard this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Citing the CDC, McClatchy News reported 39 children under the age of 17 had died of flu-related illnesses as of Jan. 11 — compared to 25 at the same time last year.
Health officials attribute the uptick to Influenza B, which is more common among young people and hasn’t been dominant in the U.S. for decades, according to the report.
“There’s a lot of children ill and fewer elderly ill, which is why we’re seeing lots of high levels of illness and not such high levels of hospitalization and mortality,” Lynnette Brammer with the CDC told FOX5.
