ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Jordan Catholic School closed its doors Friday, February 28 after a third of its teachers called in sick.
Principal Jacob Smithers says it wasn't an easy decision to make.
"It's not good," Smithers says. "We'd rather have students in school learning."
It's not just teachers suffering from the flu -- among other illnesses. Many students have also been absent from classes.
"We really saw (absences) take a dive this week," Smithers says.
Out of the roughly 380 students at Jordan Catholic, about 10 to 15 percent of students have missed school daily in recent weeks.
Smithers says out of the month of February, there has only been one day where the school hasn't needed a substitute teacher in a class.
"We can run the school with a lower number of students, but we were running out of substitutes," Smithers says.
Jordan Catholic School's employees took today as an opportunity to deep clean everything, like desks, chairs, toys and lockers.
"It's the things that are touched daily, but don't always get a chance to clean," Smithers says.
It's those things that students frequently touch that make classrooms a breeding ground for bacteria, Rock Island County Health Department's Janet Hill says.
"(Kids) are rubbing their noses then their eyes, then their friend's faces, especially the younger kids," Hill, Chief Operating Officer, says.
Hill says the state of Illinois is in peak flu season now.
"There's no pocket of the state that's excluded," Hill says. "(The flu) is everywhere."
Smithers hopes the day off will not only clear out the school of germs, but also let students and staff both get better.
"We're trying to stay ahead if what's out there to help out students and parents be as protected as possible," Smithers says.
He hopes everyone feels better on Monday.
Next week, the school is adding 18 hand sanitizing stations to try and keep students and teachers as healthy as possible.