Parents are concerned about student illnesses spreading in the Butler School District, but district officials say they are keeping a watchful eye.

Superintendent Ed Fink said this morning there has been one confirmed student case of H1N1 flu, often referred to as swine flu, at the high school.

Some parents have told the Butler Eagle they heard of large numbers of ill students. Others said the schools should close.

Fink said he's heard from a number of worried parents, but he said federal guidelines say the negatives of closing school such as lack of child care and health care providers who stay home with children outweigh the benefits. "We are watching very carefully," he said.

Fink said about 13 percent of students at the district's 14 school buildings were absent this week. The normal rate during a flu season is 10 percent to 20 percent, he said.

School nurses have reported cases of strep throat, asthma symptoms and pneumonia in addition to children with flu-like symptoms, he said.

Fink said if there is a problem with the flu in schools, the district will notify parents.