Bengaluru: Clarence High School on Pottery Road has suspended offline classes until Aug 18 after hundreds of students and staff reported cold, cough and fever. Two cases of H1N1 have been confirmed.The school was closed on Aug 12 for deep cleaning and sanitisation after several students and staff developed viral fever, cold and cough. It reopened on Aug 13 with instructions that students showing even mild symptoms should not attend. More than 500 kids — 20% of the school’s 2,500-strong student body — were absent, most unwell with fever, cold or cough. As many as 137 students visited the first-aid centre, of whom 15 were sent home and 19 kept under observation. Twenty-one staff members were also absent.As a precaution against further spread, the school shut offline classes again from Aug 14 to 18, saying the closure would allow it to stabilise operations and take preventive measures. Students of classes 6 to 12 are attending online classes, while the Montessori and primary sections remain closed.While acknowledging that seasonal outbreaks are not uncommon, the school has raised concerns about what it calls a preventable contributing factor — numerous unauthorised and unhygienic street vendors operating close to its premises.The school said vendors include a tender coconut seller, a kebab vendor who generates persistent waste, a footpath shop selling aerated drinks and snacks, as well as momo, ice cream, sugarcane juice, sweet corn and South Indian food carts. Shirt sellers and mobile accessory shops also operate in the vicinity.The school alleged that several vendors occupy footpaths, creating unhygienic conditions around its perimeter and attracting rodents and snakes. It also claimed that many operate without proper licences and in violation of footpath encroachment laws, while littering, public urination and the consumption of alcohol by some customers add to the problems.The school also pointed to the proposed restrictions on the sale of junk food and HFSS (high in fat, salt and sugar) food within 50 metres of educational institutions. “Many operate on footpaths, creating unhygienic conditions around the school perimeter, attracting rodents and snakes. These vendors have no proper licence, operating in blatant violation of footpath encroachment laws and in conditions that pose serious health and safety risks to our students,” the school said.Plea for actionThe management of Clarence High has written to the block education officer and the city corporation health officer seeking intervention. The school has sought an immediate health and safety inspection of food vendors around the campus, action against unlicensed vendors, and their relocation to designated vending zones elsewhere. It has also urged strict enforcement of regulations prohibiting the sale of junk food within 50 metres of educational institutions.“We aren’t panicking, we’re managing. But we can’t do it alone. We urge the civic authorities to act swiftly before this situation escalates further,” the school said.BOXSchool’s concerns* Blatant violations and encroachment of the footpath* Impacts the utilisation of footpath and hygiene in the area* Adversely affects safety of school students* Causes illness and outbreak of diseases
