As flu season progresses, the nurses are currently informing students about when it is appropriate for students to go home from school. According to nurse coordinator Patty Antle, with a steady number of ill students per day, it is vital that students are aware of when to go home to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

Antle said, “Students are sent home if they have a temperature over 100 degrees, if they feel so sick that they can’t remain in class or if they have any contagious illnesses. With the flu spreading around, it’s important for everyone to follow these rules.”

The student assistants have helped the nurses with many tasks, including doing laundry, running passes and restocking supplies. According to Antle, they have been a great help, especially on busy mornings.

Senior Rachel Weiss is one of the student assistants. According to Weiss, the health center is usually pretty calm.

Weiss said, “Normally we don’t see very many students in the health center. Of course there will be some days when we’ll have an influx of students in the morning, but very rarely does that happen.”

In addition, many of the sick students have had what seems like flu symptoms, according to Antle.

Antle said, “About one-third of the students who came here had flu symptoms. However, it is difficult to distinctly tell if the student has the flu or the common cold based off of these reoccurring symptoms.”