hard deadlines

Source: RIDE. click image to embiggen.

The attendance data for all Portsmouth's schools continued to show absences below state averages last week, with the exception of a minor spike at Melville last Friday (which corrected by Monday). Elmhurst seemed to be showing an increase over the last two reporting days, so that trendline may bear watching, although the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays may be a factor, with some families taking off early.

If I wasn't on deadline with my NaNoWriMo novel, I'd go to the School Committee meeting tonight and ask what the "Health and Wellness Committee," chaired by Angela Volpicelli, has been doing to stay on top of the flu epidemic. As nearly as I can tell from having heard her reports for the last couple of months, their major accomplishment has been celebrating the nearly inedible whole-wheat pizza crusts new state nutrition laws have inflicted on our kids.

Disclaimer: I am not an epidemiologist, nor do I play one on television.

Correction: Fixed identification of spike in blue line.