EDGAR SPRINGS, Mo. -- "I have never had such a small class," said Phelps County R-3 teacher Steve Neugebauer.

On Tuesday, Neugebauer looked out to a class of six students rather than the regular 25. Due to the absences, "we have to stop our regular subjects," he said.

His classroom is just one example of a building-wide problem in the school district.

"We have several cases of Influenza A confirmed. They're being treated as H1N1," said superintendent Kay McMurtrey.

Of 210 students, around 90 left desks empty on Tuesday, and about the same number on Monday, leading administrators to cancel school for the rest of the week. That adds up to more than 40 percent of the student body.

"We usually cancel with one-quarter absent," said McMurtrey.

Due to quick spread of illness, staff members sterilized the building on Monday night. Once classes dismissed on Tuesday, they had the bleach out again, going over as many surfaces in the building as possible.

McMurtrey says she hopes the move will help break the spread of the virus. The decision to cancel classes and extracurricular activities will also break up the school calendar. They'll have to plan make-up days for those missed. Meanwhile, they're back to the books on Monday.

"Hopefully, we'll start this week over," said Neugebauer.

As for those who manage to escape the virus this time around, the school hopes to catch them before the bug. Their first day back, next Monday, the district is hosting an H1N1 vaccination clinic -- one planned long before the unexpected fall break.
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To see the latest information flu outbreak map, click here Here's some information on school closures in other areas:
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ST. LOUIS -- A school district in eastern Missouri closed its schools until Oct. 20 because of the flu. Superintendent Tom Guenzler told KSDK-TV on Monday that schools in the Jefferson County R-VII District are temporarily shut down.

The schools that have been closed are Plattin Primary School, Telegraph Intermediate, Danby-Rush Tower Middle School and Jefferson High School. It isn't yet known how many students and teachers in the district had the flu, or if they have seasonal flu or H1N1 flu. The district said parents should keep sick children at home until they don't have a fever for 24 hours.
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock is not holding classes at the start of the week because of a flu outbreak. Interim Superintendent Sandy Lunestad says the school shut down last Thursday when several students and staff developed flu-like symptoms. She says the school plans to reopen Wednesday.

Lunestad says 18 of the school's 40 students were ill and among the staff out sick was the registered nurse.

Arkansas Department of Education officials say the school is the only one in the state to report postponing classes because of illness. Education Department spokesman Ed Barham says absenteeism rates have been about 7 percent so far this year compared to an average of about 5 percent.