NPHS closes, quickly reopens after swine flu scare

Two probable cases of swine flu have been identified in Conejo Valley Unified School District this week, one at Newbury Park High School and one at Redwood Middle School.

CVUSD officials had informed parents on Monday that NPHS would be shut down from May 5 through May 11, but the district reversed its decision and reopened the campus yesterday, May 6. Many events, including prom and athletic competitions, have been canceled or postponed.

Officially referred to as H1N1 virus, the disease is suspected to have killed more than 150 people in Mexico. As of Tuesday more than 400 cases had been confirmed in the United States and one death in Texas had been attributed to the virus. There were about 700 probable cases in 44 states as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

State and county public health offices had directed local officials to treat all probable cases as confirmed, which is why the school was shut down.

However, Tuesday morning Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the CDC is no longer recommending school closure as the flu is turning out to be milder than first expected.

"We got in touch with our local public health agency, and they said they were following suit with the CDC's recommendation (to not close schools)," said CVUSD Superintendent Mario Contini.

"We've been in conversation with a couple of doctors over there and with county schools and decided we aren't closing any schools anymore," he said.

Contini is directing parents and students to the NPHS website to check on event schedules, which are constantly being updated. High school IB and AP testing may continue with modifications in seating arrangements.

The NPHS prom had been rescheduled for June 5 and will likely remain postponed. While the majority of lowerlevel athletics have been postponed or canceled, most varsity games will go on as planned.

"The theory is that the kids are outdoors and the chances are less," Contini said. "The CDC has a better understanding of the virus and how easy it is to contract it. We are having students practice good hygiene even on field. They will probably be asked to wash hands periodically even on the field."

Ventura County Public Health officials informed the Conejo Valley Unified School District of the NPHS case on Monday.

The probable case at Redwood was announced Tuesday and, according to a press release, the student is receiving medical care.

The cases are referred to as "probable" until confirmed by the CDC in Atlanta, which can take several days.

More than 500 schools in 24 states were closed Monday, keeping 330,000 out of school, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The first two cases in Ventura County, both young students in Oxnard, were reported April 30, according to the Ventura County Health Care Agency.

Because it's considered an emergency situation, the district will not lose the perstudent, perday money from the state for the day NPHS was closed. But now that the school is reopened, the district will lose money if students don't show up.

"There's always that fear, so we are trying to get a (call out) right away," Contini said. "We'll probably lose a few."

Because of the number of calls expected from parents, CVUSD officials are asking that parents not call the school or school district office if possible. For more information, visit the district's website at www.conejo.k12.ca.us.