At least three private schools in California were temporarily closed because of concerns about the swine flu outbreak while state officials reminded students Tuesday to take precautionary measures and practice basic hygiene.
A Catholic school in Sacramento County, which has three students with confirmed cases of swine flu, shut its doors for the entire week. Schools in San Diego and Claremont were shut down for the day but plan to reopen today after reported illnesses were determined not to be the flu.
No public schools in California have closed, but State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said he was working with public health officials and carefully monitoring the outbreak.
"Of paramount concern to me and other officials is the health and safety of our students and our professional educators working in our schools and our classrooms on a day-to-day basis," O'Connell said at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in California, where there are 13 confirmed swine flu cases. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also declared a local health emergency, although there are no confirmed cases in the county.
O'Connell said public health officials can close a school if there is a confirmed or highly suspicious case of swine flu. He urged school officials to ensure their emergency plans are updated to include responses to a pandemic flu, and he and others emphasized the importance of washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and keeping sick children home.
"This is the teachable moment for parents and families to all learn about hand-washing, hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene," said Cathy Bray, chief school nurse for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which is also watching the most recent developments and communicating with school superintendents and nurses.
In Sacramento County, the health department recommended that St. Mel's Catholic School in Fair Oaks close after determining that a student may have contracted swine flu. The school, which has 275 students, announced Sunday that it would not reopen until at least Thursday. But a few days later, after three students were confirmed to have the flu, school officials extended that closure. Campus officials are working with the health department to determine when to reopen.
