PERU — Swine flu appears to have closed Peru Central School.

The School District is closed today because of a high number of faculty and staff absences.

It is the first North Country school to close due to the flu that is sweeping the area. According to state and local health officials, H1N1, commonly called swine flu, is the only flu identified in New York at this time.

Peru already has seen much of its population out of school, with nearly half the students at the High School and Middle School out earlier this week.

SICK STAFF
"Although in the Middle and High School student attendance is improving, we are finding that the staff and faculty instances of illness are increasing," Peru Central School Superintendent A. Paul Scott said Thursday, "and based on an assessment, at this point in time, we are not going to have the capacity tomorrow to transport, supervise and instruct students."

Scott said he did not know the total number of faculty and staff absent, saying the district does not track those numbers the same as it does with students.

All classes and programs will resume Monday, according to Scott.

'UNPRECEDENTED'
When student absences peaked earlier this week, Scott had said the School District would remain open unless employee absences increased to the point where students could not be transported, supervised and instructed.

As student absences decreased, the number of employees who were out soared.

"I cannot willingly put us in a position where we have students not being adequately served in any of those three key components of the school day," Scott said.

"It is at unprecedented levels."

STUDENT NUMBERS
School districts throughout Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties have been experiencing record student absences, with many faculty and staff out as well.

Area districts decided in pre-flu-season planning that schools would not close due to student absences, but only based on lack of faculty or staff to operate the schools.

CHILD CARE
Scott began contacting parents and guardians of students Thursday afternoon through a "rapid-communications" tool that allows him to phone any designated number that parents provided to school offices.

Anyone who didn't receive a phone call should contact the school office and provide officials with a number.

"We wanted to give parents notice this afternoon so they could make alternate plans for children," Scott said.

"Besides educating children, another important function of the school certainly is custodial care, and that is why we let parents know promptly when it became clear we would not be able to transport, supervise and instruct students."

Scott expects absentee numbers to return closer to normal next week, though he was been told that other districts may have elevated numbers.

CITES STAFF
The Peru superintendent credited the nurse teams, the teachers, school-based support staff, bus drivers, administrators and operations supervisors for providing "exemplary public service" this week by providing full school days for the many children who were healthy and ready for instruction.

He also expressed appreciation to Clinton County Health Department and other agencies for their help.

"Students have been very good this week, too," Scott said. "They have been understanding and cooperative."

E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com