MCDADE, Texas — Forget the wipes, a small school district in Bastrop County is closed down the rest of the week for a deep cleaning after a flu outbreak sickened dozens of children.
Custodians, cafeteria workers and maintenance crews at McDade Independent School District spent all day Thursday deep cleaning around the district's elementary and high school campuses, getting rid of any potential flu bacteria.
"We do what we can to keep them healthy," said Gary Glosson, the father of two children in the district.
He said the health of his children is a top priority. His daughter, Alissa, is in the ninth grade and Lauren is in the sixth.
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Not only do his daughters go to school in McDade, he's one of the maintenance workers helping wipe down the entire school district.
"I wouldn't recommend parents to sending them to school [if they're sick], because it just spreads," he said.
McDade ISD Superintendent Barbara Marchbanks said the entire school district was dismissed for the week on Wednesday.
"We're cleaning our buses, scrubbing walls, floors, chairs, door knobs, everything human hands have touched we are scrubbing," Marchbanks said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said flu activity is still moderate in Texas, but trending downward since the peak of activity on the week of Christmas.
Although the district doesn't have a count on the number of students infected, she said a drop in attendance at the elementary school forced the school's closure.
"With younger kids being hands-on, they are not likely to cover their mouths when they cough, especially the three- to six-year-old ones," she said.
Glosson hopes the deep clean will help keep the flu from hitting his family.
"I just hope it stays away from me and my household," he said.
Regardless of what school your children go to, Superintendent Marchbanks said it's important to keep your kids at home if they are not feeling good.
The district will monitor the situation over the weekend and if things get better, students are expected to return to class on Monday.