Better safe than sorry seems to be the position being taken by School District 27 and many parents when it comes to preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus.

More students and teachers than usual have been absent from school in recent weeks, but superintendent Diane Wright says the absentees are the result of schools and parents being diligent about sending and keeping children home when they exhibit cold or flu-like symptoms.

On any given day, and at any given school, she says the absentee rates can fluctuate from 10 to 20, and even 30 per cent.

In speaking with principals, Wright says she is getting the sense that the higher absentee rate is more precautionary than in response to any major outbreak.

She says children who exhibit any symptoms of cold, flu, stomach aches, and the like at school are kept in the sick room until they can be sent home.

Staff who are sick are also sent home.

As a precaution she says many parents are also keeping children home who may have a runny nose, upset stomach, or other cold or flu-like symptoms.

“Parents are being very vigilant, which is a great idea,” Wright says.

While she says some parents may have been told by doctors or nurses that their child likely has H1N1, the district doesn’t have any information on numbers of students or staff who may be confirmed as having the virus.

She says the district is required to file absentee reports with Interior Health and any decisions on whether to close a school would be made by herself in consultation with the regional medical health officer.

At this point, she says, no schools have been closed.

In keeping with a requirement of the Ministry of Education, she says School District 27 has developed a preparedness plan for H1N1 which is posted on the district’s website.

That plan also includes extra attention to hard surface cleaning in schools.

“I also want to point out the excellent work our custodians are doing to keep schools safe,” she says.

“WorkSafe BC has noted that these cleaning procedures in conjunction with the pandemic plan where students and staff who are ill are isolated until they can go home make schools among the safest public places.”