Presbyterian High closes for a week after teacher contracted H1N1
By Liang Kai Xin, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 June 2009 2130 hrs

SINGAPORE: Channel NewsAsia understands Presbyterian High has become the first school to close all classes because one of its teachers had contracted the H1N1 virus.

The infected teacher had attended a staff meeting on Friday.

And as a precaution, all teaching staff are now required to stay at home and monitor their health.

The school has already contacted several students about the closure.

Online lessons will start on Monday and the school will reopen on 6 July.

When Channel NewsAsia reporter visited the school, the staff were seen making calls in the general office.

Schools in Singapore are set to re-open on Monday after a month of holidays.

SINGAPORE: Westwood Secondary and Presbyterian High will postpone school reopening by a week to 7 July. This is because a teacher in each school had tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

To prevent the spread of disease to other students, the Education Ministry says, the staff and students who were in close contact with the teachers have been advised to take Leave of Absence for seven days and to stay home and monitor their health.

As many teachers in the two schools will be on Leave of Absence, the schools will postpone their school reopening and students will have home-based learning lessons.

At Westwood Secondary, a teacher tested positive for the H1N1 virus on 27 June.

He had taken part in three school activities from 22 to 26 June - an NPCC camp at Pulau Ubin, a Social Studies Workshop and a staff seminar.

The teacher did not have a fever or other symptoms apart from a cough.

While he had no fever, the school is taking the extra precautionary measure of placing all students and staff who were in close contact with this teacher on Leave of Absence since 22 June, when his cough started.

This includes 74 school staff at the staff seminar. 58 students will also be placed on LOA. These students will be advised to stay at home and to monitor their health closely while they are on LOA.

Over at Presbyterian High, a teacher from the school had seen a doctor on 23 June afternoon when she felt unwell and was given two days of medical leave from 24 to 25 June.

She attended the Staff Symposium on 26 June as she felt well.

The teacher went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 27 June as she felt unwell again and tested positive for the H1N1 virus on 27 June.

She was in close contact with teachers from the school on three occasions in the week - discussions with a few teachers on 22 and 23 June, and a staff symposium on 26 June.

70 staff will be asked to take LOA from school for seven days.

All students in Westwood Secondary and Presbyterian High School will be provided with home-based learning lessons.

The schools will monitor the students' progress through channels, such as telephone, email and the schools' learning management systems.

The schools will also keep parents informed of the learning activities and accompanying study schedules.

When these students return to school, teachers may also conduct make-up lessons.

For students in these two schools who are scheduled to take their "O" Level Mother-Tongue oral examinations on 2 and 3 July, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) will make arrangements for them to take the examinations at a later date.

As for Hai Sing Catholic School, a trainee teacher attached to the school tested positive for the H1N1 virus on 27 June.

He attended a staff seminar on the morning of 25 June and six staff who were in close contact have been asked to take Leave of Absence from 26 June to 2 July.

As only a small percentage of the school staff is on Leave of Absence, the school will operate as usual and reopen on Monday 29 June.

- CNA/ir