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RateSchool absentee rates slightly elevated
By Susan Campriello
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
GREENE COUNTY — Amid rumors that flu-like-symptoms and other indicators of illnesses have driven many students in Greene County to stay home from school, absence rates are only slightly higher than usual, school administrators reported Wednesday.
Marie Ostoyich, Director of Greene County Public Health, said according to aggregate data culled from four Greene County school districts, 17.12 percent of students were absent from class between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28.
She said the new electronic reporting system had only been activated since fears of an H1N1 outbreak surfaced last spring and schools had no comparative data on hand. More schools are getting on board with the system, Ostoyich said.
Department nurse Kerry Miller worked with school nurses earlier this year to discuss prevention of germ spread throughout each school building, bus and facility.
Catskill Central School District Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Farrell said about 10 percent of students in every grade level were absent during the week leading up to Oct. 28 — a figure that represents students who left school mid-day, she said.
According to the State Education Department, 1,781 students were enrolled in Catskill district schools in the 2007-08 school year.
Farrell said the absentee figure was not unusual although the district strives to achieve an absentee rate of four or five percent.
She said parents in the district have been urged to keep children who feel ill or have fevers home from school until 24 hours after a fever breaks.
She said some absent students had exhibited flu-like symptoms but others seemed to have caught a stomach virus.
Cairo-Durham Central School District Superintendent Sally Sharkey said about 30 more students in one of the district’s two elementary schools were absent than normal.
Sharkey did not say whether the 50 absent students attended Cairo Elementary School or Durham Elementary School, but she did say absentee rates in the other elementary school and in the middle and high schools were not elevated.
Roughly 1,670 students attended Cairo-Durham schools is the 2007-08 school year, according to SED.
Dr. Earle Gregory, superintendent of Coxsackie-Athens Central School District, also said the district-wide absentee rate was “higher than normal” but would not expound on his statement.
He told the Daily Mail Tuesday that letters regarding the absentee rate had been sent home to parents in his district. According to SED, 1,555 students were enrolled in Coxsackie-Athens district schools during the 2007-08 school year.
Staff at Hunter-Tannersville High School tallied that 35 students were absent last Tuesday whereas 30 students had been absent on Oct. 27, 2008.
Four-hundred-and-sixty-six students attended schools in the district in the 2007-08 school year, according to SED.
Greenville Central School District’s Director of Curriculum and Communications Colleen Hall said a variety of illnesses were keeping more students than usual home this week. She said the average absentee rate in September was 45 students.
That district had 1,363 enrolled students in the 2007-08 school year.
Greenville families, like those in other districts, were encouraged to keep ill children or those feeling ill home from school and Hall said the school sends updates on H1N1 virus and flu awareness to parents.
Assistant Superintendent at Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District Katy Barber said her school’s attendance rate was better than usual.
Only six students in the 430-student district were absent last Wednesday, she said, and the average absentee rate is 10 or 12 students.
Barber said some parents had become concerned recently when they misunderstood a mother tell a school nurse she was taking her child out of school to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
“We’ve blessed,” she said, “we’ve been very healthy.”
To reach reporter Susan Campriello, call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3333, or e-mail scampriello@thedailymail.net.
Marie Ostoyich, Director of Greene County Public Health, said according to aggregate data culled from four Greene County school districts, 17.12 percent of students were absent from class between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28.
She said the new electronic reporting system had only been activated since fears of an H1N1 outbreak surfaced last spring and schools had no comparative data on hand. More schools are getting on board with the system, Ostoyich said.
Department nurse Kerry Miller worked with school nurses earlier this year to discuss prevention of germ spread throughout each school building, bus and facility.
Catskill Central School District Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Farrell said about 10 percent of students in every grade level were absent during the week leading up to Oct. 28 — a figure that represents students who left school mid-day, she said.
According to the State Education Department, 1,781 students were enrolled in Catskill district schools in the 2007-08 school year.
Farrell said the absentee figure was not unusual although the district strives to achieve an absentee rate of four or five percent.
She said parents in the district have been urged to keep children who feel ill or have fevers home from school until 24 hours after a fever breaks.
She said some absent students had exhibited flu-like symptoms but others seemed to have caught a stomach virus.
Cairo-Durham Central School District Superintendent Sally Sharkey said about 30 more students in one of the district’s two elementary schools were absent than normal.
Sharkey did not say whether the 50 absent students attended Cairo Elementary School or Durham Elementary School, but she did say absentee rates in the other elementary school and in the middle and high schools were not elevated.
Roughly 1,670 students attended Cairo-Durham schools is the 2007-08 school year, according to SED.
Dr. Earle Gregory, superintendent of Coxsackie-Athens Central School District, also said the district-wide absentee rate was “higher than normal” but would not expound on his statement.
He told the Daily Mail Tuesday that letters regarding the absentee rate had been sent home to parents in his district. According to SED, 1,555 students were enrolled in Coxsackie-Athens district schools during the 2007-08 school year.
Staff at Hunter-Tannersville High School tallied that 35 students were absent last Tuesday whereas 30 students had been absent on Oct. 27, 2008.
Four-hundred-and-sixty-six students attended schools in the district in the 2007-08 school year, according to SED.
Greenville Central School District’s Director of Curriculum and Communications Colleen Hall said a variety of illnesses were keeping more students than usual home this week. She said the average absentee rate in September was 45 students.
That district had 1,363 enrolled students in the 2007-08 school year.
Greenville families, like those in other districts, were encouraged to keep ill children or those feeling ill home from school and Hall said the school sends updates on H1N1 virus and flu awareness to parents.
Assistant Superintendent at Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District Katy Barber said her school’s attendance rate was better than usual.
Only six students in the 430-student district were absent last Wednesday, she said, and the average absentee rate is 10 or 12 students.
Barber said some parents had become concerned recently when they misunderstood a mother tell a school nurse she was taking her child out of school to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
“We’ve blessed,” she said, “we’ve been very healthy.”
To reach reporter Susan Campriello, call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3333, or e-mail scampriello@thedailymail.net.
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