The swine flu has made its grand entrance in La Crosse public schools, keeping scores of kids home from class.

It was obvious to the casual visitor the number of sick students was on the rise when children who weren't feeling their best could be seen leaving Longfellow Middle School on Monday wearing face masks.

"I'm really trying to cover my cough so I don't have to wear one," a student told me as we walked the halls.

She backed up her remark by explaining she's "really not sick."

At Central High School, the number of sick kids Monday and Tuesday topped 300, or 25 percent. La Crosse School District health officials couldn't remember another time when there had been such a large number of students out ill.

While La Crosse's numbers didn't spike until this week, some of the suburban and outlying school districts already have dealt with a not-so-friendly visit from the virus.

Onalaska schools are well into their second week of classes dealing with the virus.

They've seen the number of sick teens soar as high as 30 percent at the high school and watched absentee rates climb at other buildings as well.

Health paraprofessionals are on the front lines of helping kids at school, said Andi Van Sickle, an Onalaska district nurse.

"Day in and day out, they are facing many, many sick little children, and they're all troopers," Van Sickle said.

"They are phenomenal, but I am concerned for them. They have more face-to-face hours with sick kids right now."

Onalaska health staff are trying to do their own personal wellness and "practice what we preach" to stay healthy, Van Sickle said.

"That means eat well, rest well and wash your hands often," she said.

"The usual needs for children are going on, which keeps us all busy, and add this very concerning epidemic to school, I'm sure every school nurse is extremely busy."

Planning ahead for the arrival of the flu helped, but school health staff have had to remain open to the daily changes, Van Sickle said.

"So in our district, and I believe it's true for most other districts, nurses are working with superintendents and medical advisers and with the counties to communicate and continue to consult in order to discern what are the right steps," she said.

"It's an ongoing thing. It's an ongoing process. It's an ongoing discernment of what's best."