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St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel canceled Wednesday classes in an effort to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, said Principal Stephen J. Edmonds.

Five Pallotti students have had confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus since the start of the school year, including one case that was confirmed Monday and two that were confirmed last week, Edmonds said. About 100 students were absent from school on Tuesday. The school has a total of 500 students.

"This was a significant number of kids being out, so we just wanted to be proactive," he said.

Edmonds believes many of the absent students probably don't have swine flu, but are being kept home by their parents as a precautionary measure or using the outbreak as a chance for a day off.

"I think some of our very industrious students have maybe seized the opportunity," he said.

On Wednesday, janitorial crews will spend the day thoroughly cleaning the school for six to eight hours, Edmonds said.

Several Pallotti students have shown flu-like symptoms in the past few days, Edmonds said, but it is impossible to say how many have actually had swine flu because many haven't been seen by a doctor or tested for the virus. He said his staff has encouraged parents to keep sick children home from school until their symptoms subside.

E-mail Caitlin Moran at cmoran@gazette.net.