Flu closes Crandon schools until Monday

Crandon schools are closed for the rest of the week because of a flu-like illness.

District officials made the announcement Monday afternoon. At the time 270 K-12 students were out sick, most with flu-like symptoms.

On Tuesday, the school district was completely empty with even administrators and maintenance staff out.

The closure also means the end of the season for some sports teams, including volleyball, which was forced to forfeit a playoff game.

Students are being urged to stay home and not gather in groups to prevent the virus from spreading.

Health officials say it made the decision to close the schools because of a drastic jump in those sick over the weekend.

“Our percentage was 9-percent. It jumped to 36-percent in the middle, high school and 22-percent on the elementary side,” said Jill Krueger, Director of the Forest County Health Department.

Because the school closure was ordered by the health department, the district will not be required to make up the days. But Superintendent Richard Peters says they will take a few weeks to figure out how to best handle the missed time.