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Western Oklahoma schools battling illness uptick, forcing some to go virtual

Elizabeth Murphy
/
Wikimedia Commons

Schools in western Oklahoma are battling an uptick in flu cases, which has forced at least two to go virtual.

Nearly 16% of Clinton Public Schools' student body was gone Tuesday sick with the flu or other illness. According to the district’s superintendent, that's about 330 students.

Just down the road in Weatherford, school officials say they have around 200 kids recovering at home.

While both districts are still holding classes in-person, that’s not the case for the Thomas-Fay-Custer school district, which moved to virtual learning Tuesday and Wednesday. Its superintendent says 35%, or about 160 students, are out sick.

Late Wednesday, Woodward Middle School announced it's holding classes virtually Thursday and Friday due to the rising number of illnesses with students and staff.

As flu continues to uptick across the state and nation, health officials urge parents to keep sick kids home from school and to wait at least 24 hours after their child's fever is gone before returning them to the classroom.

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Nyk has worked in radio since 2011 serving as a board operator, on-air announcer and production director for commercial radio stations in Iowa. Originally from the Quad Cities area, Nyk joined KGOU in 2018 as a practicum student studying Creative Media Production at OU. Upon graduating the following year, he became part of KGOU’s staff and is now the local Morning Edition host. When not on the air, Nyk likes to read, listen to music and follow news about the radio industry.