School and health officials made it clear they are doing all they can to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu in La Crosse area schools.

At a news briefing this morning, Jerry Kember, La Crosse School District superintendent, said school officials are working with health officials in taking many steps to keep schools safe.

"We are cleaning and disinfecting at higher levels than ever before throughout every building," Kember said.

Kember said sanitizing solutions are available in classrooms, and staff is carefully monitoring school absences, which peaked in the La Crosse School District last week and have declined to normal seasonal flu levels.

"We are sending home any student complaining of any illness or ill feelings," he said.

Doug Mormann, director of the La Crosse County Health Department, said the investigation into death of 7-year-old Cristian "C.J." Ehler, a State Road Elementary School second-grader, is under way, but he had no comment today on the case.

Ehler died after having flu-like symptoms, and an autopsy revealed no obvious physical cause of death. Mormann said cultures and lab tests are pending, and he will make the results public when they are completed, but that could take several days.

"It is very unsettling when there is a death, it's difficult for the family, it's difficult for our community, it's not taken lightly, and we're working diligently... trying to figure out ways to prevent those kinds of things from happening," Mormann said.

"We do understand that this an uneasy time for parents, especially in our community, and we know they are trying to make good decisions about how and what they can do to protect their children," he said.