Branchburg Township schools reopen after closed for flu

<p>A flu outbreak among essential personnel closed an entire school&nbsp;district Monday in Somerset County.</p>

News 12 Staff

Feb 5, 2018, 11:24 AM

Updated 2,536 days ago

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Branchburg Township schools reopen after closed for flu
It's back to school for more than 2,000 students in Somerset County who got the day off because too many school bus drivers had the flu.
All three Branchburg Township schools - Branchburg Central Middle School, Stony Brook School and Whiton Elementary School - reopened Tuesday after they closed because at least seven bus drivers were out sick Monday.
"It’s all about the buses. There is no epidemic in the schools. Only among the bus drivers, and the issue is a transportation issue, not specifically a flu in the schools issue,” Branchburg Township School District Superintendent Rebecca Gensel said.
The district found enough substitute drivers and has sanitized its buses and buildings.
The district serves students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.
The New Jersey Department of Health reports that there have been almost 5,000 confirmed cases of the flu in the state this season. 
Health officials last week confirmed that a 4-year-old girl from central New Jersey was the first confirmed flu-related death in New Jersey. No other deaths have been reported in the state.
The Associated Press news wire service contributed to this report.