Magnolia Public Schools were closed on Monday afternoon for the rest of the week due to hundreds of flu-related illnesses.
Superintendent John Ward made the announcement after meeting with principals.
“We will close the remainder of the week due to the number of students and staff that are absent due to health-related sickness,” Ward said.
With spring break falling next week, students won't return to class until Monday, March 25. The district administrative office will remain open this week.
The Magnolia School District had an enrollment of 2,827 after fall classes opened in August.
Ward said that about 25 percent of the student body was absent on Monday. The number wasn’t that high as the school day began but continued to rise as more students showed signs of illness.
Ward said that just during the time he was meeting with principals, four more teachers left their campuses due to illness, or due to children will illnesses.
Approximately 35 Magnolia teachers were either sick with flu or tending to their own children. That number did not include support staff, such as custodians and school office staff, who were likewise affected.
“This is inconvenient and we apologize, but we want to try to get ahead of this,” Ward said.
Ward said the district kept a close eye on attendance figures last week, when about 15 percent of the student body was out.
“We felt like anything over 20 (percent) was the threshold. It’s now about 25 percent,” Ward said on Monday.
School sports and extracurricular activities will continue as scheduled. The freshman track team will still go to the meet in El Dorado on Tuesday. Team members should report to Panther Stadium at 1:45 p.m.
Ward said each campus has activated its “Alternative Method of Instruction,” or AMI, plan. The plan varies from campus to campus but essentially consisted of pre-packaged homework.
Each campus will be disinfected before students return, Ward said. Standardized tests start after spring break, and the district wants to ensure that it has done everything possible to stem the flu outbreak.
Several Arkansas school districts have closed during the past two weeks. The Nevada School District, which covers the southern and eastern portions of Nevada County, was closed in late February.
