School taking extra measures after high number of students stay home sick

IDAHO FALLS — Taylorview Middle School staff are taking extra precautions after a large number of students reported being sick this week.

On Monday, 210 of the school’s 841 students were absent — a full 25 percent of total enrollment. That number dropped to 173 absences Tuesday and 133 on Wednesday.

While every student missing class likely was not sick, the majority seem to have been absent due to illness.

“We’ve seen a high number of absences at Taylorview that appear to be related to flu, strep, colds, etc.,” Idaho Falls School District 91 spokeswoman Margaret Wimborne told EastIdahoNews.com in an email. “We’re not necessarily seeing that across the district (and) have been working with Eastern Idaho Public Health.”

A letter from Kathy Smith, the principal of Taylorview, was sent to parents Wednesday explaining the situation.

“We will be taking extra measures at Taylorview to clean and disinfect surfaces such as doorknobs, desktop surfaces, Chromebooks, etc. We also are working to make sure there is hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in all of our classrooms and common spaces,” Smith wrote.

Flu activity is widespread across the state, although the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare is not reporting any major outbreaks, according to the state’s flu-tracking website. Three people have died in Idaho this season due to flu-related illnesses.

To prevent the spread of flu and other illnesses, the Centers for Disease Controls advises the public to:

· Wash hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub

· Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing or cough and sneeze into your sleeve

· Avoid sharing food and water bottles

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth

· Clean and disinfect surfaces, especially when someone is sick at home

· Staying home from work or school when sick