VIDEO: Probable swine flu closes St. Charles middle school indefinitely

Students streamed out of Haines Middle School in the rain Thursday afternoon to a line of waiting buses and cars after St. Charles School District 303 officials closed the school due to a probable case of swine flu.

The Kane County Health Department notified district officials at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday that a female student who left school Monday morning with flu-like symptoms could have the virus that is causing widespread public concern.

After consulting with public health officials, the district made the call to shut down the school until further notice. The closure came the day after Rotolo Middle School in Batavia and Marmion Academy in Aurora closed due to probable cases.

A test sample from the girl at Haines has been sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing. The school will be closed until the CDC notifies the district of the test results.

Neither students nor staff members are to report to Haines until further notice, school officials said. All extracurricular events at the school have been postponed.

It has not been determined how the missed school days will affect the end of the school year.

“Obviously this is new territory for all of us, including the Health Department,” School Superintendent Donald Schlomann said at a news conference at district headquarters. “We’re trying to err on the side of safety for all students.”

Students were released according to normal dismissal procedures beginning at 1 p.m., and buses transported them to their regular stops. Parents were notified of the closing through an automated phone message.

County health officials are recommending that staff, faculty and students not gather in groups, since that would defeat the goal of disrupting disease transmission. District 303 administrators are working with the Health Department to further monitor the situation.

At this time, there have not been any other students displaying symptoms at Haines or other St. Charles schools. The district has not seen a spike in absences since swine flu became a national news story early this week.

Schlomann said district officials do not know if the girl, whose age and grade the district is withholding, or her family have traveled recently to Mexico, where the virus is believed to have originated.

The girl began experiencing flu symptoms Monday, April 27, morning and was sent home with a fever higher than 101 degrees after seeing the school nurse. The county Health Department labeled her case suspect when her doctor conduct a test that yielded positive results.

Samples then were sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which upgraded the case to probable. It will be at least two days before the results of the CDC tests are available, Schlomann said.

The girl has siblings at two other district schools, but they have not displayed any symptoms, officials said. They have been kept home as a precaution. Officials would not say which schools the siblings attend.

Schlomann said the girl’s health has improved since she went home Monday.

“It’s my understanding that she’s at home, feeling fine,” he said. “She would like to come back to school; unfortunately the school is closed now.”

Even though Haines Middle School is closed, parents of Haines students are asked to notify district administration if their children exhibits flu-like symptoms. The district administration phone number is (630) 513-3030.

Students and adults who demonstrate Influenza symptoms should seek medical treatment as soon as possible, officials said  Symptoms include:  fever of 101 degrees or higher, chills, sore throat, cough, achiness, nausea and vomiting.

Kathleen Darling waited for her 12-year-old son Mikell outside Haines on Thursday. An automated phone message alerted her to the closing shortly after noon, she said.

“Thank God I’m a stay-at-home mom,” Darling said. “I think we’re overreacting. This is a real hardship for parents.”

Despite the publicity the virus is getting, Darling said it will not alter daily life for her family.

“I don’t think we’re going to change anything,” she said. “I’m making sure the kids are washing their hands all the time, I pulled out some of the (hand-sanitizing) gel, but it’s not going to change our activities.

“If I saw thousands or hundreds of people coming down with this, maybe it would be different,” she said.