La Salle has many absences; flu partly blamed
Published: October 20, 2009
Updated: October 20, 2009
PROVIDENCE—Officials at a school in Providence say a recent spike in student absences is largely due to flu-like symptoms.
Jeff Dennard, director of communications for La Salle Academy, said about 157 students were absent on Monday. He said six students have reported more severe flu-like symptoms.
He said it was not known if the students were ill with swine flu, but that the Department of Health was following up with swab tests. The school expects the results to be known on Wednesday. (Read Related Story)
Dennard did not immediately know how many students were absent on Tuesday.
The school says its absentee rate was 7.9 percent last week, versus an average absentee rate earlier in the year of 4.7 percent.
There are no current plans to cancel any major activities at the school.
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No littleone, I evolved…Something that the La Salle folks would rather not teach to our children.
seriously, some comments are so ignorant - what does this being a school that is into “that whole bible story” have to do with kids having the flu?? Maybe because you were hatched from an egg they didn’t supply you with common courtesy….
La Salle is into that whole bible story thing anyways. Who would want to send their kid there?
La Salle is still an all-boys school right?
Home > News> Local
Large number of students absent from RI school
The Associated Press
Published: October 21, 2009
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
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.
This is widespread people, use some commonsense before you bash a school for something that is beyond their control.
LaSalle has been co-ed since 1983. I am not sure where this article says it is all male, but I may have missed something.
Maybe I also missed where LaSalle is “defensive” and “apologizing to the media”. Many schools have high absentee rates right now. Panic, maybe, but if the kids went to school with flu symptoms, there would be fault finding with that too.
Having just gotten over this flu-like thing, I can tell you I felt like I got hit by a bus.
Deecosta48, right on. Unless the kids who leave LaSalle are tracked through graduation, there is no way to know if they “dropped out”. LaSalle has and continues to be, an excellent school. And, no, I don’t have any students or grads there.
amazing how LaSalle gets so defensive and then has to apologize to the media..
they continue to believe that they are far above the rest…..
Since when did La Salle become an all-boys school again? It’s called “fact-checking” people.
Saltydog - are you saying the LaSalle Academy has the highest drop out rate in the state? I think that might be a miss leading as the Absentee rate. Possible students drop out of LaSalle for various reasons (some maybe financial in these tough times) but may transfer and graduate from other high schools.
And this is why everyone panics. Also why you shouldn’t believe everything or for that much anything you read.
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