Flu Sweeps Through Pinckneyville High School

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The "to do" list at Pinckneyville High School is growing. The student body is tested before being allowed to go to class. Anyone with a high temperature is sent home. Those with slightly elevated temperatures are retested. If their temperature continues to rise, they are sent home.

A student must have had no fever for 24 hours without aid of fever reducing medication in order to return to class. District 101 is following the protocol set up by the CDC for H1N1 outbreaks. None of the illnesses have been confirmed as H1N1 flu.

There were 157 students absent on Tuesday, 150 students absent on Monday, up from between 50 and 60 on Friday and between 30 and 40 on Thursday. Only one event has been cancelled so far. Band Director Stephen Cannedy chose to not participate in the Sparta Field Show competition because there were 15 to 20 band members ill.