In a development that is reminiscent of the first part of the pandemic, a high school in Maine was closed for a deep clean because so many people there were sick.
After a meeting on Thursday night, preceded by 21% of school students and staff being absent on Wednesday, the school board in Cape Elizabeth decided that the best course of action to keep the school population healthy would be to close the high school school on Friday.
According to school district staff and parents, the illnesses are primarily respiratory.
"I’m not surprised, there’s a lot going around right now," said Pam Hamisko, a parent of twins who are sophomores at the high school who were among those who became sick.
Hamisko added that she’s aware of "RSV, COVID and the flu" circulating in the school all at once.
"I’m glad that the school has taken steps to close the school down for the day, give kids a break, let kids get better and clean the school," Hamisko said.
She was echoed by Tom Shyka, a parent of a high school junior, who said that he "appreciates what the school did" to "have a safe environment for the kids, teachers and all the staff at the school."
Shyka added that he believes the school board made the correct decision to keep the school healthy, even if that meant a return to some of the missed memories from earlier in the pandemic.
"I feel bad, especially for some of the seniors who might not be able to run in the cross country meet this weekend, might miss some of their final sporting events," he said.
To get the latest on the illnesses, NECN/NBC 10 Boston attempted to contact the district superintendent’s office in person and by phone, but we did not receive an immediate response.
