Updated notices on swine flu virus prevention have hit area school district Web sites within recent weeks, as some have reported confirmed and possible cases of the illness among students.

Sanger Superintendent Jack Biggerstaff said that since school started in August, the district has identified several confirmed cases of swine flu and absenteeism has been an issue.

“It appears that the middle school has been the hardest hit and the high school next,” he said. “Surprisingly, our elementary schools have not been reporting many absences due to flu.”

Biggerstaff said he does not anticipate a need to close schools in the district, though it might be a consideration if the number of absences continues to rise.

Attendance has not dropped below 90 percent at the high school, Biggerstaff said, but average attendance at the middle school last week fell within the mid-80 percent range, he said. He said attendance at the middle school started to increase on Friday, which might be a good sign for the district.

“Hopefully we’re starting to get through it,” Biggerstaff said this week.

To halt the spread of swine flu, also known as H1N1 influenza, Biggerstaff said that preventive information has been placed on the district Web site for parents, students and community residents.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swine flu can be contracted in ways similar to seasonal flu. The CDC also has reported that people with the virus may infect persons “from one day before getting sick to five to seven days after,” the organization’s Web site said.

In Denton, health services director Theresa Grant said the school district has had children out of school with flu-like illnesses but it’s nothing alarming. She said the district is encouraging parents to keep sick children home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication.

Nurses are doing daily surveillance of students, Grant said, and those with flu-like symptoms are being sent home. Nurses are then reporting their findings to the county health department, she said.

Grant said Denton schools are collaborating with county agencies to promote the swine flu vaccine, which is expected to arrive next month, and support good hygiene and other preventive measures. Grant gave a presentation before the Denton school board last week in which she discussed updated procedures the district is following to handle the swine flu virus this fall.

“We’re trying to make sure that we follow the best guidelines for preventing this and keeping it at bay,” Grant told trustees.

Dr. Bing Burton, Denton County health director, said the H1N1 strain has been responsible for most flu cases statewide. Local school districts, excluding Sanger, have reported absence rates related to flu-like illnesses to his department, but no absenteeism rates have been alarming, he said. A serious outbreak would reflect a drop in attendance of about 20 percent, Burton said.

School officials in Argyle, Aubrey, Krum, Lake Dallas, Pilot Point and Ponder have said there have been no identified cases of swine flu in their schools. Students who are sick are being sent home, and school staff members are using beefed-up campus cleaning procedures similar to those put in place in Denton.

All school districts are encouraging parents to contact the school when their child is absent with a flu-like illness.

“We’re just trying to keep a safe environment, obviously, and not allow the school to be the catalyst for spreading of the [swine] flu,” Aubrey Superintendent James Monaco said.

Buddy Price, manager of the University of North Texas news service, reported that as of Tuesday 11 cases tested positive for influenza A on campus and 42 students had reported flu-like symptoms.

The university set up an informational Web site and is spreading the word on avoiding the flu through brochures, posters and handouts, Price said.

Texas Woman’s University has not had any swine flu cases reported on campus, said university spokeswoman Amanda Simpson.

TWU also has swine flu information posted on its Web site.

Staff writer Bj Lewis contributed to this report.

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com .