Flu season leads to drop in attendance across school districts in El Paso

All three school districts in El Paso have seen a decline in attendance compared to last year.

That’s not surprising when you take into account that El Paso has seen 2,983 more flu cases compared to last season, according to the city’s health department.

“For the last few years, we’ve kind of had it easy if you will,” said Robert Resendes, the director of the city’s health department. “But this year that we’re in now — this flu season — has been very difficult with many deaths.”

Seven deaths so far in El Paso. But none of those have been children.

“Stay home, and if you get sick you get to a doctor quickly,” Resendes said. “Don’t be brave or try to figure it out for yourself for two or three days, because by then it may be too late for the anti virals.”

EPISD officials said average attendance in the district is usually around 95 percent. This January, attendance is at 90.63 percent. In January 2017, attendance was at 90.7 percent.

At YISD, there’s been 1,829 more students listed absent due to illness compared to January of last year.

At SISD officials said attendance is down 2.29 percent compared to the average.

“It helps us to know that there’s something going on out there, and we increase our surveillance and our detective work to find out what’s going on,” Resendes said. “The schools are a good microcosm of what’s going on in the community.”

Many school districts have a policy of alerting the health department when attendance at a school drops by more than 10 percent.

“There’s been a couple times where we think twice about bringing our kids around all the other sick kids,” Travis Elementary School parent Juan Castrellon said.

For a list of the closest locations with available vaccines click here.