Winter has arrived, and so has the cold and flu season. With an increased number of students in the building, this season of illness has some worried about a greater impact on the student body. Some are concerned about the effects regarding the spread of illness when nearly two schools are in one building.

To understand this, the increased probability of sickness is down to a little less science than it may seem. The spread and increased number of sick students isn’t fully down to the changing conditions, but rather the close proximity to one another. “The reason why cold and flu is more common is because people are in closer proximity to each other than they are when it’s warm,” Bedford school nurse Susie Miller said.
One might think that with more students at BMS this year, the season of cold and flu might make more people sick than usual. However, this isn’t the case according to Miller. “The number of kids at BMS is not nearly as many as at Staples, and having more kids at BMS will not affect the spread of illness,” she said when asked about the crowded school. Clearly, not something to worry about as Staples has a lot more students and no reported issues of increased sickness.

Regardless, a sick student shouldn’t come to school. According to the school nurse, students should stay home until he or she feels well enough to return. If a student has had a fever, he or she should stay home until his or her temperature returns to normal. If uncertain about anything, a student can always see his or her doctor. The best thing to do is to practice proper hygiene to avoid getting sick in the first place. Things like washing hands and covering when coughing go a long way to keeping a student healthy, which is never a bad thing for an individual, or the school.