The Butler County School District has cancelled all field trips, said Superintendent Mike Looney, a precautionary measure taken to prevent its students from coming in contact with swine influenza.

Looney said canceling field trips came under advisement from State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton.

“While Dr. Morton did not specifically prohibit field trips, he did ask us to reconsider them,” said Looney. “First and foremost in our concerns is the safety of our students.”

Swine influenza – or H1N1 flu – has spread quickly across the United States, and the world, since Sunday.

Looney said the policy would be re-visited next week.

“We hope this is just for the short term,” he said.

Thursday folders sent home with students carried a message from Looney notifying parents of the school district’s precautions in dealing with swine flu.

“Although we do not have any known cases in our area,” Looney stated, “we are doing everything possible to protect the health of our students and limit the spread of swine flu.”