BANQUETE, Texas — The Banquete School District will be closed Wednesday through Friday because of excessive absences caused by flu and flu-like symptoms.
Crews will arrive to disinfect the school today. Students will remain in school for the rest of the day, but as of 5 p.m. today, no activities will take place through Friday.
The district reports that 15 percent of the district student body is absent for sickness with 25 percent of the junior high school out and 20 percent of the district's staff.
"We have been monitoring for the last several weeks since return from stock show time, but the cycle seems to be steadily increasing," Banquete Superintendent Max Thompson said in a prepared statement. "We are hoping that an extended time away from the district will decrease the cases and the spread of the symptoms."
The district reports that during the time away from school each room and school bus will be sanitized.
"I apologize for any inconvenience this closure causes," Thompson said. "However, I believe the health and safety of our students and staff must be our priority.
"We are doing everything we can to stop the spreading of the flu and other flu-like symptoms."
The district will not be required to make up these days on the school calendar.
The Banquete announcement comes as 582 cases of flu reported by the Nueces County Health District. That total is up 7.2 percent from the 543 cases reported last week.
District officials say that the peak of the flu season wasn't reached for another three weeks last year.
