BLUE EARTH - Absences are up this year at Blue Earth Area, with influenza the culprit.

While the district has not reached one of the mandatory state reporting thresholds - when 5 percent or more of students from a building are absent because of influenza-like illness - it has had to report twice for the second threshold - three or more students in an elementary classroom absent because of flu.

"We've been below the 5 percent for the first quarter," said Superintendent Dale Brandsoy. "We're currently at less than 1 percent."

Principals have noted an overall rise in absences over last year.

"We are up in absences this third quarter," said middle school principal Melissa McGuire. "Many are out with flu-like illness. It's not that there's more kids out (sick), they're just out longer."

That's because students have been asked not to come back to school until at least 24 hours after their fevers break without the use of medications. So a student is likely to be absent at least a week.

McGuire said parents are given the option to have a conference with the school nurse instead of going to the doctor's office to get a note for excused absences. McGuire said clinics are already swamped and this option helps.

High School principal Jack Eustice has seen an uptick in student absences, but a decrease in staff absences. In 2008, there were 247 days of student absences in the first 40 days of class. This year, there are 613.

Eustice said that in the weeks after MEA there were an average of 24 absences per day. Now absences have fallen to about 13 per day. Last year, there were five days of double-digit absences; this year 31 days.

Staff absences were 69 last year, 63 this year.

The school board received notice Monday of H1N1 vaccination clinics offered to young students. They are for children ages 5-9 at no cost.

The first is 4-7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Faribault County Human Services building at 415 S. Main St., Blue Earth. The second is 4-8 p.m. Nov. 19 at Five Lakes Centre, 308 State St., Fairmont. For more information call (800) 657-3903.

Another H1N1 vaccination will be held at United Hospital District, which is administering the vaccination to priority groups identified by the state Department of Health - pregnant women; persons who live with or provide care for infants under 6 months of age; health care and emergency medical personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material; children 6 months to 4 years; and children and teens 5-18 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

UHD began offering the vaccinations Monday and will continue 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday through November, or until supplies last. There is no charge. For more information, call (507) 526-3273.

In other business, the board heard a report from maintenance supervisor Al Gieser regarding a State Fire Marshal report. The district had 33 violations reported, but Gieser said half in each building are easily and cheaply corrected.

The State Fire Marshal gave the district zero to 90 days to fix each violation, depending on the seriousness of each.