One school system says they are trying to stop the spread of the flu by canceling school for the week.
  It’s a move backed by doctors who say their waiting rooms have been filled with patients sick with the flu.
Stewart County Schools say it is a preventive measure that had to be taken.
The school system says after a steadily increasing number of absences due to sickness they needed time to clean and give students a chance to rest. 
The cleaning is underway for custodians who work in Stewart County Schools
This intense disinfecting process will be the only thing happening in schools across the county for the next three days after the school system canceled classes and extracurricular activities for the rest of the week.
School nurse and parent Chastity Lackey says the time off helps break the cycle of sickness.
Lackey says, “It lets the children kind of be at home get better and then allows the custodians o come in and do a thorough cleaning of the school to get any germs out of here.”
It's a closing doctors say needed to happen - here at dover medical center anywhere from 30 to 40 children have been seen over the last couple of days with the flu- and had school continued Dr. Atef Ebrhim says there is no doubt it would have spread.
Ebrhim says, “This is a kind of virus infection and it is very important to prevent this from being pandemic as a whole county or as a whole city so we are trying to limit the spread of the virus by closing the school and trying to control the spread of the virus.”
Stewart County School officials say on Tuesday 240 of their 21 hundred students were absent due to illness...
 Parents like Angela Moss say they are happy with the schools decision.
Moss says, “I’d rather them be at home then be sick.”
Schools in Stewart County will reopen on Monday.
Each Stewart County parent was called to notify them of the  closing a message was also posted on the school system's Facebook page