Fayette County Schools close for Monday due to illness

The district says schools are closed due to "widespread illness among students and staff"

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Due to what the district is calling “widespread illness among students and staff,” Fayette County schools are closed Monday.

The district is joining one of 24 schools in Kentucky that have closed or taken NTI days in November due to illness.

District officials say all FCPS schools were already scheduled to be closed Tuesday for Election Day. Both Monday and Tuesday will not be NTI days.

Instead, the district says custodial staff will be doing a deep clean of all campuses, classrooms, and facilities during the two-day break.

Over the past week the number of students and staff absences due to illness continues to climb all over the state, and the problem isn’t limited to just Kentucky.

An ABC News analysis of CDC data shows over the first three weeks of flu season, there have been more than 9,000 positive flu tests. That’s the highest number of tests recorded this early in flu season since the 2009-2010 season, the year the swine flu broke out.

Fayette County Schools could not confirm whether flu or stomach-related illnesses caused Fayette County’s closure.