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3 schools to reopen as swine flu fears calm

Photo from Lisa Grady

While these children appear to be enjoying their "swine break," it will be coming to an end sooner than they expected.

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By ADAM EMERSON and MARILYN BROWN

aemerson@tampatrib.com mbrown@tampatrib.com

Published: May 6, 2009

Updated: 05/06/2009 12:13 am

TAMPA - The Hillsborough County School District will reopen three schools on Thursday that closed due to the threat of swine flu.

The schools will give cleanup crews time to complete their scrub down today of Freedom High School, Liberty Middle School and Wilson Middle School, which originally were closed for the week.

Federal health officials Tuesday said the impact of the virus has been milder than anticipated and the toll of closing a school has done more to add stress to families than it has done to stop the flu's spread.

If more suspected cases of swine flu surface among Hillsborough students, the district won't close those schools, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said.

Elia added, however, that students showing flulike symptoms should see a doctor and stay home for seven days. If students arrive at school showing those symptoms, they will be sent home, she said.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week advised schools to shut down for about two weeks if there were suspected cases of swine flu. Hundreds of schools across the country have followed that guidance. The closings in Hillsborough affected 4,000 students.

The agency reversed that decision Tuesday.

The Hillsborough district closed the schools at the urging of the county health department, knowing it would inconvenience working parents and add stress to students preparing for Advanced Placement exams.

"I will always follow what's best for our students' health," Elia said Tuesday.

School administrators were still working with the College Board to schedule makeup AP exams for students. Athletics officials said Freedom High's track athletes can compete in Friday's state championships if they're free of any flulike symptoms.

A boring vacation

For everyone else, "swine break" will end. Students and teachers were told to keep out of malls and movie houses, and schools made lessons available online.

"I'm pretty bored," said Walter Ley, a Wilson Middle School eighth-grader who was resigned to "chores and schoolwork" after he slept in till nearly noon. "We're not supposed to go anywhere."

The district contacted families and teachers of the schools reopening through its automated system. Elia said she didn't believe there would be a problem bringing people back to work by Thursday.

She said the county health department recommended that crews finish cleaning common areas and places students are likely to touch, such as desks, doors and stair railings.

More cases expected

The virus was suspected in a student at Wilson Middle in South Tampa and a student at Freedom High in New Tampa. Liberty Middle was closed because it shares a cafeteria with Freedom High.

Hillsborough County Health Department Director Doug Holt said the school closings helped slow the potential spread of the virus. He said the region is still early in the outbreak compared with the rest of the nation and he expects that other local cases will surface.

Hillsborough had six probable cases of swine flu as of Tuesday. Florida has 19 probable and five confirmed cases.

So far, the virus has not proved to be more infectious or deadly than the seasonal flu, federal health officials said.

As the threat seemed to diminish, health officials also considered the problems the school closings were creating for parents, said Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC.

Officials were hearing about children getting dropped off at libraries, or parents who couldn't take sick leave to care for their children.

"The downsides of school closure start to outweigh the benefits," Besser said.

The good news for students: They may not have to make up the three missed days. State Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith can waive them.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.

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