Ohio school closes for the week because of sick students

CHEVIOT, Ohio (AP) — So many students are out sick with flu symptoms that a Catholic elementary school in the Cincinnati area has decided to close for the rest of this week.

St. Martin of Tours School in suburban Cheviot has canceled classes for Tuesday and Wednesday. Students were already scheduled to have Thursday and Friday off because of a teacher conference.

School secretary Kathy Mathis says at least 75 of the school’s kindergarten through 8th grade students — more than a third of the total — either called in sick on Monday or went home early with flulike ailments.

Administrators had hoped to see improvement from last week, when as many as 60 students were out each day.