The weather is becoming warmer, but some schools are still closing because many students are sick with the flu (influenza) or other diseases. A student asked me how many absences it would take for a class to be closed. A common rule is that if about 20% of the students are absent, the class is closed. But at my school, it’s a bit different. There are only three students in my class. If one student is absent, the absentee rate is 33%, but we can’t close the class just because one student is missing. One of my students said, “If two students are absent, the absence rate is 66%, so the class should be closed.” But I replied, “If two students are absent, who’s going to give you the flu?”   (130 words)

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