ATHENS, Ala. — Classes were cancelled for the rest of the week over at Sugar Creek Elementary after a flu outbreak swept through the school. Effectively, that's the rest of the semester.
Each school district in Alabama decides its own policies on whether or not to close any given school, but Limestone County Schools superintendent Randy Shearouse said they don't have a set policy in place.
Shearouse also said it's a cause for concern when a fifth of the student body is missing from class and they lack teachers and subs. "We were doubling up some classes, and so that just wasn't optimal in this situation. But that 20% really starts us looking at each school to determine whether or not we can continue to have school each and every day and take care of our students.
And with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), medical officer Wes Stubblefield said the state's number of cases with flu-like symptoms just keeps rising. "This year, our numbers have started to rise pretty dramatically over the last two to three weeks. We don't know where the peak will end. But it's safe to say that the flu is here, and everyone needs to be prepared."
Near to the elementary school, in the town of Lester, shop owner Sharon Smith said it's good for everybody to stop the spread of sickness.
"If one customer comes in and they're sick, it gets us sick. We don't really know it," Smith said. "We're spreading it to other customers that were well. So, it's just a vicious circle."
She added, "If we can put a stop to it, it's great, economically, for everybody in the community."
Superintendent Shearouse also said Sugar Creek Elementary plans to return to full operation in January, and they might even get to celebrate some of their planned holiday activities at the start of the year.
Sanitation crews will be working to disinfect everything until then, and students are set to return at the start of the semester on Jan. 7.