Marshall County School Cancels Classes After Mass Absences

Sick days are adding up for schools across Oklahoma.

One district in Marshall County says so many kids were out sick Monday, it decided to cancel classes for two days.

School employees have been deep cleaning to make sure the campus is germ-free.

"The goal is to make everything as safe as we can for our students...” custodian Tom Amey said. “Our students are No. 1."

Kingston Public Schools was caught by surprise Monday when 20 percent of their students were out sick.

"I threw up at like 5 and I've been up since...,” student Trent Roberts said. “And since I was coming up here I didn't want to get anyone sick... so I wore the mask."

And Roberts wasn't' the only one, which prompted superintendent Ron Whipkey to cancel classes for Tuesday and Wednesday so students could recover.

"The determination was made it was best to give everyone a couple days hopefully to recuperate,” Kingston Public Schools spokesperson Jon Dohrer said. “Come back refreshed on Thursday and give our cleaning crew a chance to work their magic."

Employees stayed busy this week cleaning classrooms, desks, school buses and lockers, spraying, scrubbing and disinfecting each campus.

"We use a 19 which is a disinfectant cleaner... It kills influenza also,” Mike Hobbs said.