Flu season starts officially on Sunday, and while the government has been urging schools to close only as a last resort in the battle against H1N1, there have already been at least 187 school closures since the school year started last month. Ross Hammond from the Brookings Institution discusses his new report that reveals that the true cost to the nation of closing schools and day care centers could be as much as $47 billion. Kathleen Murphy is a registered nurse and the health services coordinator for the Milwaukee Public Schools; she tells us what her school district is doing to prevent closings. We also speak to Dr. Faheem Younus, the medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention at the Upper Chesapeake Health Center in Bel Air, Md., who has some practical advice for parents who can't take the day off of work.

As the federal government prepares to release its recommendations for schools during flu season, The Takeaway talks to two workers on the front lines of the war on the flu. Ryan Kelley is the emergency medical services manager for the Imperial County Public Health Department in El Centro, California. He closed four schools last April because of confirmed swine flu cases, but is expecting a different approach during the upcoming school year. Kathleen Murphy is the health services coordinator for the Milwaukee Public Schools in Wisconsin. In addition to being in charge of Milwaukee's public school health services, Kathleen is also a nurse. Wisconsin was hit particularly hard with the H1N1 flu and the problem hasn't ebbed with the summer.