School's out, but H1N1 flu still affecting kids (and working parents)

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The H1N1 flu (the pandemic formerly known as swine flu) is no longer front and center in the news, upstaged by protests in Iran and a southern governor who says he was hiking the Appalachian Trail but was really having an adulterous affair. You might think the worrisome virus has completed its journey. The anecdotal stories making their way around our area tell a different story: Kids hit by fevers at the end of the school year were sent home and asked to stay home for at least a week, final exams waived if need be. So do letters going out to parents about summer camps. The one from our township reads that a "Stay Home When You're Sick" policy will be strictly enforced.

Work poll: Do you get paid if you take a sick day?

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Remember the last time you were sick? Were you able to take a day off from work to get better or would taking a sick day have meant losing a day's pay?

More than 46 million U.S. workers don't have paid sick days. As the AP reports, that translates to about 43 percent of people working for private companies, and most of them are low-paid employees at small businesses, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's lousy going to work when you're sick, but having to push yourself into work because you can't afford to take the time off to get better is really lousy.

Sick Leave on Shine

School's out, but H1N1 flu still affecting kids (and working parents)

Work poll: Do you get paid if you take a sick day?