A north Arkansas school district temporarily closed Thursday during "widespread illness" at the school, just days after a school on the other side of the state canceled classes because of a severe influenza outbreak.
Mountain Home School District Superintendent Jake Long said in a letter to parents that the school is closed for students until Monday while district workers "deep clean and disinfect school buildings and buses."
It's the second school district in Arkansas to cancel class this week because of rampant sickness and concerns about illness spreading to more students, teachers and staff.
In Horatio, officials canceled classes for the week after more than 300 students at the southwest Arkansas school district reported having the flu.
Horatio Superintendent Lee Smith faulted the low number of students being vaccinated, telling the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that an estimated 170 students who had flu shots didn't report getting sick at the 950-population district.
"Now we're paying the consequences," he said.
According to an Arkansas Department of Health study, 75 percent of public school students were not vaccinated for the flu in 2017. The study said a 10 percent bump in student flu shots would result in nearly 45,000 fewer days that kids miss school statewide.
Long said in an interview that 900 out of Mountain Home's 3,851 students were ill, as well as about 10 percent of the teaching staff.
"That number of students being gone creates some definite teaching and learning gaps," the superintendent added.
He couldn't confirm whether all of the absent people were sick from the flu or other illnesses.
Long said the decision to close was due to "the widespread illness and concern over spreading the illness."
State health officials this week were warning that the worst of this year's flu season is yet to come, designating the flu as "widespread" throughout the majority of the state.
The health department reported at least 17 deaths across Arkansas because of the flu since Sept. 30, including one juvenile death.
It's a significant drop from last year's deadly flu season that saw 227 deaths, the most on record for Arkansas in three decades.
Children and teenagers younger than 18 reported having this year's dominant strain, H1N1, at far higher rates than any other ages, according to the weekly report.
Metro on 02/01/2019