TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — The flu has gotten so bad at one Georgia elementary school that teachers are taking new steps to stop it from spreading further.
Right now, there are more than 50 confirmed cases of children home sick at Long Cane Elementary in LaGrange.
Channel 2's Lauren Pozen is in Troup County, where the school is seeing more flu cases daily.
The school's nurse, Christy Mason, told Pozen that the spread of the virus hasn't slowed since the end of October.
"Fifty-four sounds like a lot, but you have to also look at the student population," Mason said. "...When you look at it compared to the enrollment, it is not really considered a lot."
Still, it's been a bad couple of weeks for parents.
"They were all out last week," Hope Archer said. "My husband and I have had to miss work to pick them up."
Archer said her kids' symptoms included fevers and vomiting.
The school is now taking drastic measures to keep the virus from spreading. A company came to sanitize the campus with a special spray. There's also medical-grade hand sanitizer in every classroom and students and staff are required to use it every morning.
The school is updating students by using social media and sending kids home with flyers imploring parents not to send a child with a fever to school.
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But some parents say it's not enough and they would like to see the school close until the virus is gone.
"Parents are sending their kids to school sick because they do have a job, but when the doors are locked at Lone Cane, they have no choice but to sit at home and take care of their kids and make sure they get well," Archer said.
Archer said that being home from school so long has made homework a struggle.
"He didn't understand most of it because he hasn't learned it," Archer said. "And I just had questions about that and I didn't want him to get behind. He is all about his school work."
Mason said the key to preventing the spread of the flu is to wash your hands or use wipes if you're not by a sink.
Cox Media Group
