Swine flu shuts down Albertson school

Another Long Island school has closed due to swine flu. The Henry Viscardi School in Albertson has been temporarily shut down after a case of swine flu was confirmed at the school. School officials say

News 12 Staff

May 29, 2009, 1:35 AM

Updated 5,538 days ago

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Another Long Island school has closed due to swine flu.
The Henry Viscardi School in Albertson has been temporarily shut down after a case of swine flu was confirmed at the school. School officials say they decided to close due to a high absentee rate and will reopen June 3.
The school specializes in children with disabilities and is made up of students ranging from kindergarteners to 12th-graders. Many of the school?s students were set to participate in the Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged over the weekend, but state officials have barred them from playing because of the health situation at the school.
"You see the kids come in on Monday with their medals around their necks. They're just so proud,? says Henry Viscardi School Executive Director Patrice Kuntzler. "That's going to be a huge disappointment for our students. That's something that they enjoy very much and are very good at."
Nearly 200 students from the metropolitan area attend Viscardi. Officials say the student who was diagnosed with swine flu was not from Long Island. A letter and e-mail was sent home informing parents the school would be closed for seven days.
There are 80 confirmed cases of swine flu in Nassau and Suffolk. Three cases of swine flu were also confirmed Wednesday at Ward Melville High School in Setauket, Bretton Woods Elementary School in Hauppauge and Robert Moses Middle School in North Babylon.


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