Hinckley-Finlayson school district moves to distance learning Friday due to high illness rate
HINCKLEY, Minn. -- A school district in eastern Minnesota will move to online learning Friday because nearly 20% of the students are out with illness, officials said.
Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools Superintendent Brian Masterson said all six of the district's schools will conduct classes through distance learning.
"As many families are aware, our schools are experiencing a lot of sickness and a lot of illness," he said. "The sickness is being seen in many forms with flu-like symptoms being the most common sickness we are seeing. We are seeing students with fevers, coughs, [sore] throats, and other typical symptoms you would expect during a cold/flu outbreak."
Masterson said afternoon activities on Thursday will still take place, as will the district's fall play and high school sports practices this weekend.
"With this break we hope that families will be able to get healthy over a three day weekend," Masterson said. "We are looking forward to seeing everyone back on Monday morning."
The Hinckley-Finlayson district is about 80 miles north of the Twin Cities.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there have been 324 influenza outbreaks at Minnesota schools so far this season.