PELHAM — The H1N1-related death of a third-grader Tuesday has hit Pelham — hard.
The child, who suffered with chronic illness, was the third student in the district to die this fall.
Superintendent Frank Bass said he was not releasing the child's name to protect the family's privacy.
The boy had been out of school since the first week in November and had been hospitalized, Pelham Elementary School Principal Alicia LaFrance said.
He has had health issues since he started school as a first-grader, but was attending school full time in September, she said.
In October, he attended school part time due to health issues and was hospitalized.
"He was a very sick little boy," LaFrance said.
He also was a sweet child, she said.
"He captured your heart," she said. "He said hello to everyone and loved to be acknowledged."
He has a twin sister and another sister in fifth grade at the school.
His family went to Pelham Elementary School yesterday morning and met with — and were consoled by — school administrators and teachers.
The family will be at school today for a schoolwide moment of silence in memory of the child. Other memorials are planned, including a tree planting and plaque.
Meanwhile, school officials want parents to know they don't need to fear a flu outbreak.
"This is an isolated instance and we do not have H1N1 or (seasonal) flu running through the school," Bass said.
Yesterday, 41 of 1,000 students were absent. The principal said that was an average number of absences for any given day. Flu-like illness spiked at the school a little over a week ago.
The largest number of students out with the flu was Nov. 10, when 171 students were out with flu-like illnesses, LaFrance said.
Several parents said yesterday they were saddened by the child's death.
They also said they were confident the school has been doing what it can to prevent the spread of flu.
That includes telling parents about flu prevention and the importance of keeping children home when they are sick.
Kim Kubit, 39, has two children in the school, one in kindergarten and one in second grade. Both of them have received flu shots.
"The school has done a great job informing parents about H1N1, keeping hands clean and washing desks," she said.
As a parent, she said, the child's death is "gut-wrenching."
"It is worrisome, scary and sad," she said. "I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else."
Kerry Keleshian has three children, two in elementary school and one in middle school.
She said she has not had her children immunized because her nephew got a flu shot and got sick.
Her son John is in the third grade, but in a different class than the child who died.
"It's horrible," she said.
Third-grade teacher Melanie Taylor, who taught the boy, gathered the 22 children in the class in a circle yesterday morning and talked to them about their memories of their classmate and their feelings.
About half the students already knew the boy had died, she said. The students created a heart-shaped piece with their handprints to present to the family.
School counselor Traci Flaherty met with the boy's class, as well as his sisters' classes.
This was the third death of a Pelham youngster in the past few months.
Christian Gualtieri, a 10-year-old trick-or-treater, was killed by a wind-toppled tree on Halloween.
He attended a private school.
Robert Duffy, 15, a freshman at Pelham High School, died Oct. 9 from a terminal illness.
The large number of deaths was on the minds of some students at Pelham High School yesterday, said Tyler Clifford, 16, a sophomore.
"We had a discussion at lunch about how everyone has passed away," he said.
Tyler said he had the flu last week and was out of school.
"I think inside everyone is worried about getting sick," he said. "Who wants to get sick and die?"
School Board Vice Chairman Cindy Kyzer said the loss was tragic and the series of losses was especially hard to process.
"I'm at a loss for words," she said.
Town Administrator Tom Gaydos said the town is resilient.
"We do what we can to prevent things," he said. "Those we can't, we try to learn from."
Gaydos said a lot of parents in town were e-mailing each other and town officials, asking how bad the flu situation is in town.
He said parents should know the child had been ill for a while and his pre-existing condition exacerbated the problem.
Recreation Director Brian Johnson said his department has been sending out flu-prevention literature to all students who played soccer and those who will be playing basketball.
Johnson said the boy who died did not play in Recreation Department programs, but did play in the Little League Challenge Baseball division for children with special needs.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
