Waurika Public Schools closed over flu outbreak - KSWO 7News | Breaking News, Weather and Sports

WAURIKA, OK (KSWO)- Waurika Public Schools was one of the first to shut down and will remain closed until Monday to try and stop the flu from spreading.

"When you're talking the numbers, we're talking almost 70 elementary kids out of the school that only has about 213 kids in it, it's time to do something drastic,” said Superintendent Roxie Terry.

Terry said having so many people sick affects the learning process for students.

For the next four days the kitchen and custodial staff will have the opportunity to clean thoroughly.

"What they did is section off each section of the school and they are going through it with the bleach wipes and all the disinfectants and then opening doors and windows, letting them air out well,” said Terry.

Terry made the decision to close Wednesday night, saying this is the first time the district has ever closed for flu-related illnesses. 

Parents and students were notified about the closure via text message.

Besides having the time off class and work, he says, more importantly, students and faculty members will have the time to get well.

"Let the teachers and the students stay home in their own environments so, they can get well and healthy,” said Terry. “Because I think one of our biggest problems is kids were coming back to school when they were still sick."

If your child has the flu Terry said this is the time to keep them home and away from other kids.

"Because that's the whole purpose of this to try and stop the flow and we sure hope it works. But anything that we can do to try and make it safe for our kids,” said Terry.

Waurika classes will resume as scheduled Monday morning. We've provided a full list of school closures in the area here.

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