COLQUITT COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - Students at Colquitt County Schools will be getting some extra days off ahead of Spring Break though school officials say, its because of the flu.
At the end of the school day on Tuesday, the county's schools are set to close up shop, all the way until Monday, April 3.
Superintendent James Howell said that the decision to close the county's schools was made after attendance numbers continued to dip due to various illnesses, primarily the flu.
"The system has been severely impacted," said Howell, "a lot of absences and lots of kids going home." Today, he and other officials were hoping that more kids would come to school, but numbers dwindled.
After consulting others, he ultimately decided to close the schools for the remainder of the week.
As for why, Howell said that the illness outbreak is not only affecting the schools, but is affecting the whole area. Daily operations were also being affected by the multitude of children out sick.
He says that above anything his goal is "trying to keep the kids safe".
Although the school will be closed to students, teachers are expected to report to work as normal.
