Parents sent a message to the city this week: “Close our children’s school.”
A group of parents rallied outside of P.S. 99 on Monday to demand that the city Departments of Education and Health close the school for a top−to−bottom cleaning.
Parents say two teachers tested positive for swine flu, two students are in the hospital with high fevers, and 42 kids called in sick with flu−like symptoms.
“It should be closed to be cleaned,” said Tenise Stucker, whose daughter is in the third grade at P.S. 99. “The learning process has to continue with our parents feeling clear and without apprehension of sending their kids to school.”
The Education Department says city health officials must give the green light to close a school.
“We monitor the school and we consult with the Department of Health,” spokesperson Margie Feinberg said. “We take this matter very seriously. We look at absentees and the Department of Health analyzes the illnesses of the students who are sick and they make a recommendation to the chancellor and the chancellor makes a decision.”
According to the Health Department, P.S. 99, 1120 East 10th Street, is on its watch list. Officials are monitoring “documented cases of influenza−like illnesses in the nurse’s office.” So far, there’s been only one case.
Parents can read the full watch list at www.nyc.gov⁄html⁄doh⁄html⁄cd⁄cd−h1n1flu−educators.shtml.
Apparently, the fear of swine flu is enough to keep healthy students home.
“Attendance is only 65 percent, usually it’s in the 90s,” Stucker said.
With so many students absent, teaching methods have changed.
Stucker says her daughter’s class had been playing math games for the last two weeks and only started advancing in the curriculum last Friday.
