Multiple Ky. school districts closing due to illness

(WKYT) - Multiple Kentucky school districts will be closed Friday due to an increase in illness.

There will be no school for both students and staff for Berea Independent, Paris Independent, Bourbon, Madison and Clark county schools.

Bourbon County will be closed again on Monday. Students and staff in Madison and Clark districts will not be in school buildings Monday, but it will be an NTI day. Paris Independent and Berea Independent will be back to normal Monday.

School is out statewide Tuesday for Election Day.

The latest school districts join a list of others closed due to illness. We’ve told you Jackson Independent, Wolfe, Wayne and Powell County Schools closed this week for the same reason.

We reached out to Fayette County Public Schools Thursday morning to check on their attendance. They said attendance was down to between 88 and 89 percent. That’s down from the 92 percent recorded Tuesday.

Earlier this week, school leaders in Clark County said they were monitoring data with the health department. Thursday, the Clark County Health Department said it was aware of six confirmed flu cases in the county, just this week. Clark County school leaders say their schools will be deep-cleaned Friday.

Officials at Clark County Schools say the attendance of their staff and students continue to fluctuate. Administrative Director of Operations Donald Stump says they have protocols in place to handle situations like these.

“So we’re having our custodians coming in after hours when the kids go home, spraying disinfectants on our tables, common spaces like stair rails, restrooms, lockers, and tables,” said Stump.

He says school nurses assess students more frequently, and they try to stress more handwashing and hand sanitizing for students.

Pediatrician Dr. Jai Gilliam at Baptist Health says patients are coming into his office with fevers, cough, and congestion.

“Actually had two cases here this morning, been averaging about one or two cases probably a day here of flu, so we are seeing an increase of influenza,” Dr. Gilliam said.

He says they test for both the flu and Covid when patients come in with symptoms and, recently, he says he’s seen more children with the flu.

Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved.