Barnwell County School Closes, Re-Opens After Flu Outbreak

Barnwell County, SC—She’s back at school, but Kasey Owens says she’s still not feeling 100% better.

Kasey Owens, Student: “I stayed in the bed the whole week, couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything.“

Last week, she says, her doctor confirmed that she tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

Owens: “She came in, and she told me, and she said, ‘we can fix this and get better, I’ll give you the medicine, and you’ll be back next week.‘“

Kasey is back, along with most of the 200 other students at Jefferson Davis Academy. But, last week, these hallways were not as crowded.

Bryan England, Headmaster, Jefferson Davis Academy: “Last week, was a very unusual week. Came in Monday and we probably had, about 40% of our student body was missing.“

Darcey Holladay, student: “Started feeling bad, about Sunday morning, woke up with fever, could hardly get out of the bed, very tired.“

England: “The same thing happened Tuesday, and the same thing happened Wednesday, and of course it was the flu.“

And to keep it from spreading further, the Headmaster decided to shut down Thursday and Friday.

It meant canceling classes, and the Friday night football game.

England: “We didn’t have enough players, and we really hated to do it, but no question, it was the best thing to do!“

Although they’ll have to make them up, the extra days, students say, were just what the doctor ordered.

Holladay: “It helped me get back together, because I really don’t think I could have gone back to school Thursday and been able to make it through all my classes.”

Attendance Monday…

English: “Thank goodness it’s back to normal today. We’ve got about 95% back here.”

...not quite 100%...but like Kasey Owens, they’re getting there.

Aiken County district officials say they will offer the H1N1 vaccine in schools free of charge for students. It will be optional, and DHEC officials say it should be available in the next few weeks.