Swine flu shuts down Guilford HS

Guilford High School is closing its doors for the first part of next because of H1N1 flu concerns.

School officials say more than 40 percent of students were absent today.

It's not just classrooms that are closed, school activities and sports are also being hit.

Parents huddled on the sidelines at the youth football field in Guilford as the fourth grade Indian's practiced for the playoffs this weekend. It's about the only game in town as nearly half of the high school students were absent on Friday, many with symptoms of H1N1.

"I'm hoping it stays away from the young kids, I know they closed down all the indoor sports. The basketball, dancing, they've all been cancelled. But this seems to be going, the football seems to be rolling," Mike Stebbins, of Guilford, said.

While the Guilford Indians were practicing, the haunted house was closed after much debate. There were too many people in to close of an area.

"There are a lot of moms that spent months working on that, setting it up and organizing it for the kids, they are devestated," Alex Conover, of Guilford, said.

"I think they are doing the right thing. We don't want to spread to everyone and the elementary schools. Closing down the high school and letting them air out is a good idea," Gloria Mascola, of Guilford, said.

It's not only Guilford, but towns across the state hit by H1N1 symptoms are watching out. From Plainfield to Brooklyn to Berlin, they all have active cases and are taking precautions. Guilford is hoping to the high school students will follow the precautions and lay low for the next four days until school beings again on Wednesday.

"Monday and Tuesday, I don't know what is going on, we are not suppose to have sports. But we will probably have practice and do things anyways," Jake Slade, a junior, said.