Since Osceola Fundamental High School has been hosting Madeira Beach Fundamental Middle School students and staff, many students and staff would assume that there has been an increase in sickness from the number of students sharing desks and chairs, but that is not true.

According to Nurse Kendra, “The increase in sickness is caused by all the debris in the area from the past hurricanes, and also because it is cold and flu season.” The increase in students at OFHS hasn’t caused more students and staff to get sick because the high schoolers and middle schoolers are not encountering each other during the day. Although it is hard to prevent getting sick from the debris and the bad air quality in the area, you can prevent the spread of the flu and cold.

According to Nurse Kendra, to stop the spread of the flu and colds in OFHS, students can “keep their hands clean, cover their mouth when they are sneezing and coughing, and stay at home when they are sick,” she said. Though these may seem like easy and common ways to stop the spread of illness, they are very effective, and many students don’t take any of these precautions.

Nurse Kendra said, “If students do get sick, they should follow the policy, which is staying home when you are sick, and to remain at home until you get better.”