Back to School

Cynthia Vega reports

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Schools across North Texas are reopening following a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control that says schools in the U.S. no longer have to close because of swine flu.

"We've seen an exponential growth in our understanding of what's going on," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, at an Atlanta news conference Tuesday. "We're seeing severity that mirrors what we see with seasonal flu."

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said new guidance to schools was being issued Tuesday afternoon.

"The schools should be comfortable in reopening," she said. "Keep the affected students home for a seven-day period."

"The big focus is on identifying children who are ill," Dr. Besser said.

He said parents should ensure that they don't send children to school who are sick.

He said any school districts that have closed campuses based on previous guidance should now feel free to reopen, unless there is a large cluster of cases that is having an impact on attendance. "That's a local decision," he said.

The school districts that announced they were reopening schools in response to the statement include: Denton, Lake Worth, Lewisville, Mansfield and Birdville.

Lake Worth ISD will reopen Thursday 11th, Mansfield ISD will reopen Charlotte Anderson Elementary School on Wednesday and Birdville will reopen Shannon Learning Centers, also on Wednesday.

Associated Press

Lewisville students play in the park while schools are closed.

In Plano, Wilson Middle School, Sigler Elementary School and Barron Early Childhood School will resume their regular schedule Wednesday.

All school activities and field trips, both inside and outside the district, will resume on May 6. This applies to all campuses.

In Richardson, Northlake Elementary will remain closed until Monday May 11, as many students have other flu-like illnesses but Canyon Creek will open tomorrow.

Decatur schools are also reopening. Northwest ISD said they were reopening Chisolm Trail Middle School and Seven Hills Elementary School on Wednesday.

Fort Worth ISD said the earliest students will be able to return is Friday.

Tarrant County Health officials said they would discuss the new guidelines with eight districts and two private schools that have had closures.

Dr. Besser said that while the policy shift was based in science, "it involves a lot of judgment." He said it was made partly because the swine flu virus does not contain elements that are present in more deadly known pandemic viruses.

He added that the decision also considered the hardships faced by thousands of working parents.

The CDC says there are now more than 700 probable and 403 confirmed cases of swine flu in 38 states. The median age of patients is 16, and the virus has been detected in people from three months to 81 years old.

Dr. Besser said the CDC expects to eventually see swine flu cases in all states over time, with more deaths likely. But this was put into perspective with the reminder that 36,000 Americans die annually from complications related to seasonal flu.