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County Health Officer Ulder Tillman notified the County Council of the second student during an update Tuesday morning on the flu outbreak. Tillman was notified by state health officials of the second Rockville High case at 10:30 p.m. Monday.

The student began exhibiting flu symptoms May 1, Tillman said.

Rockville High School has been closed since Friday, when county officials announced an autistic student as the first probable swine flu case. Like the second probable case, the autistic student also has a sibling in the county's school system who has remained unidentified.

On Friday, county schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast joined Tillman, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), Gov. Martin O'Malley and state deputy health officer Frances Phillips for a press conference announcing the indefinite school closing and urging students not to congregate at other places such as malls and movie theaters to slow the flu's spread.

But by Monday, Weast had broken from the unified stance. In a letter to the school board Monday night, Weast said the closure was not the right decision "given the lack of compelling evidence for continued closure" from state and county health officials. Weast's letter cited information received before Tillman's 10:30 p.m. notification of a second probable Rockville case.

On Tuesday, Leggett (D) urged county officials to remain unified in their stance regarding the flu response, specifically school closures.

Schools are also closed in Prince George's, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties for probably cases of swine flu.

A date has not yet been set for reopening Rockville High, but Montgomery County Public Schools officials are consulting with county and state health officials on a daily basis, school officials reported. MCPS officials are advocating that the school reopen as soon as possible.

The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed that four of the probable Maryland cases are the swine flu, state health officials reported this afternoon. Those cases include a student from the Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County, two adults from Baltimore County and a preschool-aged child form Anne Arundel County.

Two others that had been listed as probable could not be categorized because not enough of the live virus was available for testing, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spokeswoman Karen Black said Monday evening.

In addition to Rockville High School, schools that remain closed in the state are the Milford Mill Academy, Folger McKinsey Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, and Montpelier and University Park elementary schools in Prince George's County.

There are no further plans to close any other Montgomery County public schools, spokesman Steve Simon said Monday morning. He said school officials are checking the situation on a day-to-day basis and staying in touch with state and county health officials.

The first probable case in Montgomery County, announced on Thursday, involves a 53-year-old World Bank employee who had traveled to Mexico on business, according to county officials.

He is recovered, but his wife, a Montgomery County teacher, and two children were asked to stay home from school late last week.

School officials notified parents at the affected schools — Takoma Park Elementary, Westland Middle and Einstein High schools — about the situation. Those schools remained open Friday.

"We're taking it one day at a time," said Debra S. Munk, principal of Rockville High.

Rockville High students are taking Advanced Placement tests this week at Mark Twain School in Rockville. The students are being kept six feet apart and are spaced throughout the building, and were given plenty of tissues and liquid hand sanitizer, she said.

The Rockville students are being kept away from the general population at Mark Twain, Simon said.

State and county health officials have told Munk that students are not allowed to enter the Rockville High School building for the time being, she said.

In the meantime, teachers are developing lesson plans at home and sending them by e-mail to Munk for approval. The teachers will keep in touch with their students by e-mail and phone, she said.

"It's not ideal and it won't be 100 percent, but at least it will keep the kids learning," she said.

Munk said she has not received any calls from parents or county health department officials about other cases at Rockville High.

"That's good, that's encouraging," she said.

The school resembled a ghost town around 8 a.m. Friday as the school's electronic sign flashed a message that classes had been cancelled.

The building's doors were locked and handwritten signs posted to the glass read "School Closed." Inside, building workers wore dust masks as they cleaned the second floor of the school.

Munk said she received word around 11:30 Thursday night that the school would be closed the next day on the advice of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Centers for Disease Control.

Munk said she was been told that it is "highly likely" that the student has swine flu, but the case has not yet been confirmed.

All activities at the school were cancelled Friday and over the weekend, Munk said. Rockville students are also not allowed to participate in activities at any other schools.

Updated information on the swine flu and how it is impacting Montgomery County Public Schools can be found at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Montgomery County government also has extended hours for its public information health line and is fielding questions daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 240-777-4200.