Sickness closes Clay schools

It is not the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918, which infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide and became the deadliest in modern history, but local influenza and other illnesses are bad enough to close Clay County schools.

After several days of Clay County schools being closed recently for inclement weather, many people were surprised when administrators announced on Thursday, Feb. 1, there would be no school the next day. Right away, Facebooks posts began. “School is closed for flu,” many posts from parents and teachers said. When asked on Tuesday, about the school closing, Clay Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Leek answered, “We opted to close school due to the large number of absences among both students and staff on Thursday. We used Friday to disinfect the campus to the best of our abilities. “