The schools were closed on Friday as a precautionary measure after a community member reported a confirmed local case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a drug-resistant staph germ.

The same staph germ has sickened hundreds across the country in recent months, including six North Carolina high school football players, seven West Virginia students, and two students in Connecticut, according to news reports.

While the Greenville schools were closed, desks and door handles were cleaned as a proactive measure, according to Greenville Superintendent Heather Perry. Perry said the case is not considered a major health concern for the schools.

Classes resumed Monday and only five children were absent from school out of 270 children, Perry said. Those absences were lower than a traditional school day, she noted.

While the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not recommend that schools be closed Friday, Perry decided otherwise, not only to give school personnel time to clean the facilities but also to allow school officials times to do research and learn more about the bacteria.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Tuesday, October 23, 2007 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."