Although dozens of students have become ill with flu-like symptoms at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, the district decided to keep the school open.

On Monday, some 200 students were absent from school, which is double the average number of absences. In a letter to parents, the schools superintendent pleaded with them to help stop the spread of the illness by encouraging their children to wash hands.

"When they come home from school, the first thing they have to do is wash their hands," says parent Donna Milidantri. "And it's not just a rinse under the sink. You have to give yourself a full 10-15 seconds."

The district is also ordering parents to keep sick children home. In light of the uptick in illnesses, the district decided to reschedule middle school concerts and an athletics award ceremony that were planned for this week.

So far, there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in the Monroe-Woodbury district.