GREENDALE - Forty percent of the students Greendale's at Canterbury Elementary School were out sick Monday with flu-like symptoms, so the Health Department decided to close the school until Friday. 

Parents say that makes sense.

Katie Mevis's three daughters are in constant motion on the living room sofa.  The family dog is helping maintain that motion as he begs the tree pajama-clad girls to throw him his bone.

As much fun as the girls are having, they are also sick.  All three were coughing and generally feeling lousy when they woke up Monday morning.
 
"You know they're germ factories," says their mother Canterbury Elementary School PTO President Katie Mevis. "They come home with everything."
 
That's why Katie supports the decision of the Greendale Health Department to close Canterbury until Friday.
 
"I think it makes sense," Katie says.  "I mean, you've got that many kids, especially little kids.  They don't wash their hands right.  They don't cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze."
 
All told, 40 percent of Canterbury's students missed school on Monday.  Most were dealing with symptoms consistent with the Swine Flu virus.  The health department opted not to take any chances.
 
Parents speaking with TODAY'S TMJ4 Monday night were universal in their support of the decision.
 
Jennifer Brust's sons, 6-year-old Will and 10-year-old Jack, both stayed home from school Monday.  While Jennifer is glad the kids will stay out of school until Friday, she'd like parents to take it one step further.
 
"The one thing I hope that people do is keep their kids out of the mall and out of movie theaters," Jennifer says as her boys toss a soft football in the living room. "So it doesn't spread more."

Walworth Elementary and Middle Schools in Walworth County are also closed for the rest of this week.  They are schedueld to reopen next Monday, October 26th.