Flu closes 6 MA schools

BOSTON - The state's education commissioner says he will consider waiving the 180-day school year requirement for schools forced to close for flu outbreaks and help if they need to reschedule state achievement tests.

Wednesday's announcement came as six Boston-area schools have temporarily closed after seeing a spike in students absent with flu-like symptoms.

The private Fessenden School for boys in suburban Newton, East Boston's public Umana Middle School Academy and Woodland Elementary School in suburban Weston announced Wednesday they will close for a week.

Boston Latin School and two private girls' schools, Dana Hall in Wellesley and the Winsor School in Boston, announced Tuesday they were closing for a week.

Fessenden, Woodland, Umana and Boston Latin each had a confirmed case of swine flu.
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Information from: The Boston Globe,
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe