WHITEHALL CLOSES SCHOOL AS FLU HITS LOCAL STUDENTS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: CHRIS STURGIS Staff writer

WHITEHALL -- The Junior-Senior High School told students to stay home Tuesday because 23 percent of them had the flu, just a few weeks after the same illness boosted absentee rates in Albany County schools.

``We made a decision that we would close the Junior-Senior High School for today to give the opportunity to have these kids get well. We had our faculty and staff report as usual and they are doing workshop activities,'' Superintendent James Watson said.

The school, in this northern Washington County community, has 434 students in grades 7 through 12, but 78 of them stayed home Monday because of the flu and …