PARCHMENT, Mich– Parchment Schools announced it will be closed Friday due to illness.
At this point, it’s unclear what illness the district is facing. However, this is one of several districts to close in Kalamazoo County due to illness in the past few weeks.
In February, both Gull Lake and Climax-Scotts Schools closed, along with Kalamazoo Public, which had 1900 reported illnesses in one day.
Illnesses in Southwest Michigan are on the rise right now. According to Borgess Medical Center, the normal incidence of flu this time of year is 600-700 cases a week. Right now, they say they’re seeing 1,000-2,000 cases per week in all of Southwestern Michigan.
To cut down on the spread of illnesses, health officials recommend hand washing, getting the flu shot and waiting to send kids back to school until 36 to 48 hours after they show their last symptoms.
