State says schools won’t close if H1N1 is reported

State says schools won’t close if H1N1 is reported

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Story Published: Sep 29, 2009 at 7:23 PM PST

Story Updated: Sep 29, 2009 at 7:25 PM PST

By Melica Johnson KATU News and KATU.com Staff

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SALEM, Ore. – Schools will no longer close when there is an outbreak of the H1N1 flu in the classrooms, state officials said Tuesday.

Spokesman for the state Department of Education, Jake Weigler, said closing schools when H1N1 is reported at a school “didn’t work very well.”

He said “It wasn’t an effective strategy and created a lot of disruption for schools,” after the Willamina School District closed in May when a student was suspected of having the virus.

Weigler also said closing schools during a report of H1N1 is no longer recommended by the federal government.

“These are actually federal guidelines now that say the best strategy is a preventative strategy and if it hits a point where it’s very hard for a school to function, then we need to look at closures.” he said.

Prospect Schools in southern Oregon is an example of a current and necessary closure because 30 percent of its students and teachers are sick with H1N1.

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