May 8, 2009 4:17 pm US/Central
CPS To Close North Side School Over H1N1 Flu Fears
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
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A Chicago Public Schools student uses hand sanitizer at Murray Language Academy. The district is stepping up efforts to reduce the spread the H1N1 virus. (File)
CBS
In response to absenteeism and illness data, Chicago Public Schools officials announced Friday the closing of a Far North Side school as a
precaution against the spread of H1N1 flu.
Northside Learning Center at 3730 West Bryn Mawr Ave. in the Jefferson Park, a special education facility with 288 students, will be closed Monday, CPS announced Friday. Reported absences at the school have been about three times the norm for this time of year.
Under protocols issued earlier this week by CPS, students at schools that show an unusual pattern of absences and reported illness symptoms are being sent home, according to a release from CPS.
In the case of Northside Learning Center, families of more than 10 percent of the 288 student population have taken them to doctors for H1N1 testing.
The decision to close Northside Learning Center follows a recommendation from the Chicago Department of Public Health, the release said
"We have said repeatedly that H1N1 is and will continue to be a fluid situation, and that we would act in the best interest to protect the health and welfare of our faculty, staff and students," CPS CEO Ron Huberman said in the release.
Huberman said surveillance data which documented attendance and student illness from the school indicate the number of absent students has been increasing throughout the week, which raised further concern.The number of students who reported flu-like symptoms of fever and cough further drove the decision to close the school, he said.
On Wednesday, CPS reopened Joyce Kilmer School in Rogers Park, which had been closed for a week after one of its students was diagnosed with a confirmed case of H1N1.
How long Northside will be closed was not announced. "We will consult with CDPH in the coming days on how long Northside Learning Center should remain closed, but we will continue to be cautious as this public health issue progresses," Huberman said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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