The Jackson County Medical Examiner has not ruled what killed an 11-year-old Oak Grove boy over the weekend.
The county won’t know the findings from an autopsy and lab tests that were done on the boy for at least several days, according to a county spokesman.
Jordan Smith, a fifth-grader at Maple Elementary, died Sunday of an undisclosed illness.
Oak Grove School Superintendent Freddie Doherty said Tuesday the cause of death has not been determined and did not say if the illness was flu-related.
A classmate told KMBC-TV Jordan had a fever and had missed several days of school.
Doherty got a phone call Sunday afternoon, informing him of the grim news that a member of the “Oak Grove family” had died.
The district’s crisis team met Sunday night to formulate a strategy that consisted of electronically notifying parents that a student had died and on Monday morning counselors would be available.
The crisis team’s protocol is the same for any kind of student death, from a car accident, an illness or anything else.
On Friday, district attendance dropped below 90 percent for the first time this school year.
One day below 90 percent, to around 89 percent. Doherty said that signifies to him as a “let’s keep an eye on it” mentality.
“We’re not going to overreact after one day,” he said. “It’s something that we’re going to monitor.”
Since the beginning of the school year, custodians have been disinfecting hard surfaces that commonly come in contact with hands, like doorknobs and glass surfaces in doors.
Doherty said knowledge is power when it comes to the flu. Parents and students need to be aware of handwashing, covering their cough and keeping their kid home when sick.
