Published: October 02, 2009 09:40 am      

Whitley school closings won’t affect fall break

By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer

The Whitley County school system’s week out for illness will not affect the upcoming fall break, said Patrick Bowling, the district’s director of pupil personnel.

The traditional five day vacation will be taken Oct. 12-16, he said.

Bowling said the school system had “banked” five days into its 2009-10 schedule, so those, traditionally used for weather-related absences, have already been used.

This week’s break for illness was not limited to flu-like conditions, he said, adding that students have been victims of strep infections, upper respiratory infections and a stomach virus.

The extra five days away from school affect about 4,900 students in a high school, middle school and seven elementary schools operated by the district.

Other districts, including the Pineville Independent Schools and individual schools in Letcher County, including Cowan, Letcher and West Whitesburg elementary schools and Whitesburg Middle School, were closed for the rest of the week.