4 Mass. Schools Close After Wave Of Illnesses

Four schools in Massachusetts are closed until next week because of a wave of students and faculty having flu-like symptoms.

The Fessenden School in West Newton is the latest school to close. It joins Boston Latin School and two private girl schools, the Winsor School in Boston and Dana Hall School in Wellesley.

The Boston Public Health Commission's Dr. Anita Barry says only two cases at the two schools in Boston are confirmed as the H1N1 swine flu virus.

"When you have a large number of people ill, you really don't need to have a lab confirmation in every one to know what's going," she said.

As for Boston Latin, the only public school closed, state education officials say they'll be flexible on the mandary 180-day school year rule, because of the flu outbreak. The state will also work with schools that have to make up the MCAS student achievement test.