DOE to be flexible on Swine Flu and MCAS

LYNN – As cases of Swine Flu continue to crop up in area schools, state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester has issued a notice to public schools in the state pledging flexibility on state MCAS testing and time requirements.In a memo sent last week to district superintendents and charter school leaders, Chester committed to working with schools that are being affected by the Swine Flu outbreak, and encouraged schools that have had to close to look at MCAS make-up testing dates in June as a solution.While the severity of Swine Flu has fallen off – health officials said this week that Swine Flu is now likely less dangerous than traditional influenza – many area schools are still dealing with new cases, and some have even closed their doors to prevent further outbreak.”Our priority right now has to be to ensure the safety and health of our students, faculty and administrators,” said Chester. “Testing can be rescheduled, and it is too late in the year to look at adding days to the calendar to meet the 180-day requirement. Given the seriousness, complexity and unpredictability of this issue, we will be flexible.”The outbreak comes in Massachusetts at the same time as annual MCAS testing is taking place, making for a difficult situation for some students who are forced to miss school for over a week.Chester encouraged schools to take advantage of make-up days and work with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on individual cases.Chester’s announcement comes in a week where Swine Flu touched Lynn for the first time as a Harrington Elementary School teacher was found to have the virus.While the diagnosis scared some parents and teachers, health officials insist that no student is in danger and have kept the school open.According to Health Director Maryanne O’Connor, the teacher was teaching at the school while sick with Swine Flu, but no students have come forward with symptoms and the incubation period has passed.Education officials are encouraging students to stay in school if they are not sick, but have asked parents of students with flu symptoms to keep them home for a minimum of seven days as a precaution.Students who are in school are encouraged to wash their hands often, cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough and make sure to pack hand sanitizer in their back packs.