"A lot of my class has been out, a lot of students have been out," says Harley Dowling, a senior at Brookwood High school, which is just one of the 32 schools in the Tuscaloosa County system that have been hit hard by the flu outbreak, as they’ve seen more than 400 cases already! Dowling says the absences have been noticeable, and even her friend had a scare!"She had the swine and then it got so bad, they had to keep her for a few days cause her temperature got so high and then she's back now, and yesterday she had a temperature again and went home and bathed in cold water and it back today," explains Dowling.
Brookwood high principal Laura McBride says it’s not just the kids getting sick either.
"We saw a large number of students diagnosed with flu and we at Brookwood High school were probably hit as hard in our faculty," says McBride.
School officials says students who've come down with the flu have missed an average of 3-5 school days, so teachers have been working extra hard with them to make sure they don't get behind.
"Our teachers have been very supportive of students who've been out, making sure they're able to make up their work, making sure they're able to have their needs met," says spokesman John Merrill, who adds that kids are still being encouraged to cover their mouths when sneezing and keeping their hands sanitized, in hopes of bringing the high numbers of ailing students back down.
