Clayton Valley Charter School Copes With Flu Outbreak

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA – A campus outbreak of the flu is keeping hundreds of students out of classes at Clayton Valley Charter High School in Concord, according to a school spokesman.

However, media reports about the illness that has descended on the 2,200-student campus have been overblown, school spokesman Mike MeCey said.

Several news outlets in the Bay Area have reported on the outbreak, which MeCey says kept 200 to 250 students at home sick on Wednesday.

The typical number of kids out sick from the school at this time of year is about 100 or 150, he said.

The school has been communicating with parents, sharing flu-prevention tips and describing the sanitation efforts taking place at the school, including sanitizing keyboards, doorknobs and bathroom fixtures, MeCey said.

"It's always serious when it comes to a health issue," MeCey said.

But the media attention the school is receiving over the flu outbreak is "borderline ridiculous," he said.

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