RI students to receive swine flu vaccine in Nov.

PROVIDENCE—School children in Rhode Island are scheduled to receive the swine flu vaccine starting in November.

Health Department Director David Gifford has sent letters to parents explaining free clinics will likely start next month.

Elementary students can be vaccinated after school, but they will need an adult to accompany them.

“For most of the elementary schools they will run in the evening between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. and parents can come in with their kids who are afraid of getting the injection,“ Gifford said.

Middle school and high school students can get the vaccine during school.

The clinics are voluntary. Health officials said children who don’t get the vaccine at school may need to wait until late December to get it from their doctors.

On Tuesday, school nurses attended a statewide conference at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, focused on the H1N1 vaccination plan for Rhode Island students.

“We’re responsible for assessing students that come to see us during the school day and checking for symptoms of influenza,“ said Marianne Soscia, president of the Rhode Island Certified School Nurse/Teachers Association.

At La Salle Academy, officials said a recent spike in student absences is largely due to flu-like symptoms. (Read related story)

Jeff Dennard, director of communications, said about 175 students were absent on Monday. He said six students have reported more flu-like symptoms.

Dennard said it was not known if the students were ill with swine flu, but that the Department of Health was following up with tests. Results were expected by Wednesday.

Health officials said they also received a report Tuesday from the William J. Underwood School in Newport about high absenteeism.

Since the start of the school year, the Department of Health has investigated 12 schools where there have been spikes in student absences. Only one of the schools had a confirmed case of H1N1 flu.

The Associated press contributed to this report.