Large number of students absent from RI school

NEWPORT, R.I.—A Newport elementary school is reporting an unusual spike in absences, and officials are trying to determine if swine flu is to blame.

Superintendent John Ambrogi tells The Newport Daily News that 61 students at Underwood Elementary School missed class Monday. That’s about 28 percent of the total enrollment.

Ambrogi says one student is being tested for swine flu. He says it’s not clear how many absences are due to swine flu and how many were caused by other illnesses.

He says many parents may have kept their children home as a precaution after learning that one elementary school student was being tested for swine flu.

Ambrogi says absenteeism hasn’t been a problem at other Newport schools.