ELLENVILLE – The Ellenville Middle School field trip, eighth grade dance and moving up ceremonies have been canceled and officials are blaming it on the flu.

One student has been diagnosed with swine flu and several others came down with flu like symptoms after. Many students became ill after the class came back from a trip to Boston.“There was a dramatic change in our usual attendance patterns in the middle school,” said Superintendent of Schools Lisa Wiles.

On Tuesday, eighth graders conducted a sit-in to protest the decision to cancel the events.

That decision was made after input from teachers, administrators, the school physician and the Ulster County Health Department, she said.

“Children who should have stayed out came to school to take their language proficiency tests and their Regents exams in mathematics,” she said. “Our concern was that children who were too sick would come to the dance, field day, and to their graduation, compromising their own health and possibly infecting other along the way.”