KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — If you come from a time when teachers could smoke cigarettes in the lounge and girls' hairbrushes had hairspray built into the handle, you may be wondering when illnesses started shutting down entire school systems.
The answer depends on where you live. In general, it became less "unprecedented" sometime between the eras of popular mullets and Nirvana's first chart-topping album. Or the rise of Garth Brooks in country music and A Tribe Called Quest in hip-hop, if those musical references help you.
We searched through the archives of WBIR and local newspapers in East Tennessee. One of the first major closures for flu was in January 1985 when Hancock County canceled classes for four days. Then there were one-day school closures in 1989 for illness in Blount and Scott counties.
The first widespread school closure in East Tennessee was November 1991 when a combination of a few types of flu and strep throat ravaged the region. The school systems in Knox and Blount counties closed for two days leading into the weekend before Thanksgiving. WBIR's cameras were at Farragut High School in 1991 when the announcement was made and cheers erupted from students.
Sevier County shut down those two days and canceled classes Monday through Wednesday the following week, combining with the holiday to give students 10 consecutive days without school.
A variety of respiratory flu, stomach flu, strep throat, and other illnesses closed schools throughout East Tennessee in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2010, and 2014.
Closings have been more prolonged in recent years. Knox County Schools dismissed classes four days in 2017, four in 2018, and four in 2019. This week's closure marks the fourth consecutive year of Knox County Schools closing at least three days for illness.
Closing school is effective at slowing the spread of flu, according to doctors. But students who have the day off should avoid congregating with large groups of people who may be sick, essentially defeating the purpose of canceling school.
"It's okay to go out in public. You don't have to stay quarantined in your house. But you want to follow good hand-washing techniques. You want to stay away from people who have known illnesses or have fevers. And you want to be careful that you're making those common sense precautions," said Dr. Ryan Redman at East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
Redman said parents may consider emergency treatment for the flu if a child has difficulty breathing, is extremely dehydrated, or their mental state is severely altered or incoherent.