School officials kept a close eye on attendance rolls last week after a spike of absences at Windham Middle School on Nov. 2 with many students complaining of flu-like symptoms.

Around 200 students missed class the Monday after Halloween with about half that number reporting a flu-like illness, said Superintendent Frank Bass.

“We’re watching it very carefully, he said. “Many of the kids contracted their bout with the flu late last week. We’re not going to be in a position to know what we’re looking at until Wednesday morning.”

Officials had planned to meet to discuss their next move if absences stayed high, which could have including closing one or more schools, said School Board Chairman Bruce Anderson. But by Wednesday, the absence rate began to fall as students recovered and came back to school, he said.

The student population at Windham Middle School wasn’t the only one hit by increased absences on Nov. 2, Anderson said. Roughly 13 percent missed classes at at Center School and 16 percent missed at Golden Brook School. At the high school, absences were at 8 percent, but that’s normal for this time of the school year, he said.

Schools were closed Nov. 3 for a teacher’s workshop and officials took the opportunity to have desks and chairs disinfected as well as water fountains, sinks and bathroom doors, according to Bass. Desks were spread out in classrooms to minimize close contact among students and prevent the spread of the virus, he said.

The day off from school may also have encouraged parents to keep their children home Monday to prevent them from catching the illness, increasing the number of absences, said Anderson.

So far, the flu seems to run its course in about three or four days, he said. Anderson believes many are possible cases of H1N1, though the presence of “swine flu” has not been confirmed.

At this point any cluster of flu cases is considered H1N1, said Marcella Bobinsky, of the New Hampshire Immunization Program. As the state tests flu patients, H1N1 always seems to be the cause, she said.

“Generally, we know it’s probably H1N1,” Bobinsky said. “It’s widespread not only in New Hampshire but throughout the entire country. If you’re feeling rotten and you’ve got the fever and if it happens not to be H1N1, we still want you to take care of yourself. It would be the same if it was H1N1 or not.”

School officials are requesting parents of students suffering from flu-like symptoms keep their children home for a full day after a fever has subsided.