As of Tuesday, Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit (RSU) 12 officials had no plans to close the three Wiscasset schools due to an outbreak of influenza.
As of press time, RSU 12 system reported 10 cases of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus confirmed by local medical officials. The state Center for Disease Control (CDC) has not confirmed the Wiscasset cases, according to Supt. Greg Potter.
“It has not reached the level where we cannot operate,” he said.
So far no staff have been infected with flu, whether a regular seasonal flu or the H1N1 flu, which would have to happen along with increased student cases before the unit would consider closing, Potter said.
Potter reported Wiscasset Primary School has about 26 percent of its student body, six of them being locally medical facility confirmed cases and another 53 students absent with colds or flu-like symptoms.
Wiscasset High School reported about 62 students out sick out of a total population of 210 students, many with flu symptoms but only three cases locally confirmed as H1N1 cases. Wiscasset Middle School reported 44 students (22 percent) out Tuesday with only one locally confirmed case of H1N1 flu.
Several activities outside of the schools or involving schools from the outside have been cancelled such as the middle school’s championship soccer game Monday and a high school Student Council trip to Brewer.
If the schools close between now and Thursday, the unit will have to decide if it is still going to hold the scheduled board meeting at the Wiscasset High School gym at 6:30 p.m., which was postponed from Oct. 22 due to the lack of a quorum.
Other schools in RSU 12 have reported only a few absences for sickness. Early this week, the Somerville School reported no absences for illness.
The problem with confirmation has been that area medical facilities do not routinely conduct test for the H1N1 so that school officials have no way of knowing exactly how many of the flu cases the school could report definitely as H1N1.
“Parents have to ask for that specifically,” he said.
If students experience symptoms such as heavy, labored breathing, they should seek medical attention at a hospital, Potter advised, noting fatal cases elsewhere have had pneumonia-related complications.
Potter said this week he has been in contact with the CDC and the state Commissioner of Education, and the CDC advised him the current status of H1N1 cases in the state has not reached the point of a “public emergency” at this time.
“Students can have excused absences if parents feel uncomfortable about sending their children to school,” he said. “I can understand how they would feel.”
Those students with excused absences can make up the loss of class time and homework, Potter said.
If the RSU 12 administration decided to close any or all of the Wiscasset schools, it will notify the parents and/or care providers about the decision through various means, including the newly instituted telephone calling system. The prospects for closure on Tuesday afternoon, however, seemed unlikely to Potter. “We’re hoping to see it go the other way,” he said. “If it gets worse, we’ll be considering closing.”
