The flu bug has hit nearly 600 students in Oak Park elementary school District 97, who were reported absent on Monday, according to the district.
A total of 563 students, as well as a couple dozen staff members were out sick Monday, says D97 spokesperson Chris Jasculca. One-third of the absences, 190, were reported at Julian and Brooks middle schools while the rest were spread out among the eight elementary schools.
“From what I have heard, it sounds like most of the absences were flu-related,” Jasculca said Monday. “On Friday, several of our buildings experienced an increase in absences or had students going to the nurse complaining of flu-like symptoms.”
Whether Monday’s absences is the most ever experienced by the district in one school day, Jasculca couldn’t say, but he added, “this is the largest number of absences that I have seen in a single day since I started working for the district in 2009.”
The district emailed parents Monday about the flu bug outbreak and how the district is handling it:
CONTACT: tdean@wjinc.com
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From D97, Monday Dec. 15:
Dear District 97 Families,
Nearly 600 of our students and staff members were absent today due to illness. We will be monitoring this situation closely during the next 24 to 48 hours, and will keep you updated on what impact, if any, it has on the district’s operations.
In the meantime, our custodial staff will be performing a thorough and extensive cleaning of all surfaces in our buildings this evening. In addition, below are several important cold and flu prevention tips from our nurses.
- Students with a fever of 100.0 or higher should not return to school until fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications.
- Students who have been vomiting or have diarrhea should not return to school until 24 hours after the last episode.
Students should be kept home if there are symptoms that keep them from participating in school: A cough or sneezing that cannot be controlled; Severe headache, body aches, earaches and extreme fatigue; Sore throat.Â
- Wash hands often.
- Cover your cough and sneeze.
- Eat a well-balanced diet and get the proper amount of rest.
- Replace toothbrushes often and after recovering from a cold/flu.
Be advised that many illnesses, including the flu, begin with symptoms that may be mistaken for the common cold. If you and/or your child have symptoms that last more than a few days, call a doctor for advice.
If you or your child catches a cold, doctors recommend rest, plenty of liquids, and non-aspirin medication to relieve fever, aches and pains.
Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.
Chris Jasculca
Senior Director of Policy, Planning and Communication
From D97, Wednesday Dec. 17:
We are happy to report that the total number of illness-related absences among our students and staff has decreased today.However, as we stated yesterday, we will continue to perform a deep clean of all of our buildings on a nightly basis the rest of this week. We will also keep the cold and flu prevention tips provided by our nurses posted on the district’s family of websites.
Thank you again for your time and attention to this important matter, and for your continued support and assistance throughout this challenging situation.