ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed four cases of swine flu in Maryland Monday, the first Free State patients to have their illnesses officially linked to the outbreak in Mexico.

The four confirmed cases include a student from the Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County, two adults from Baltimore County and a pre-school age child from Anne Arundel County, the Maryland Department of Health said in a news release. Maryland has a further 11 patients that remain listed as probable swine flu.

ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 learned Monday night that Vansville Elementary School in Prince George's County will be closed beginning Tuesday morning after a student was identified as having a probable case.

Also, health officials said Monday night a second student at Montpelier Elementary may have the flu.

The confirmed cases did nothing to impact the closings of five schools across the state: Montpelier Elementary in Laurel, University Park Elementary in Hyattsville, Folger McKinsey Elementary in Severna Park, Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County and Rockville High School, where a mask-and-glove-wearing crew disinfected surfaces.

Rockville students who were scheduled to take Advance Placement tests this week were sent to a nearby alternative high school. The students were segregated from the general school population and directed to an entrance apart from others.

While most students said they were fine with the arrangement, others disapproved of the conditions for test taking.

"It's kind of scary because it was the tiny little rooms and we're just five, ten people -- it was kind of scary because it was so small," said student Niki Murphy.

Kadija Cole, a fellow Rockville High School student, added, "We were split up into little rooms with seven or ten people. I'd rather had it at Rockville."

But according to Michaela Kerlin, "I think it would have been the same as if I had taken it at my school."

Late Monday, Rockville High School students learned school will be closed for a third day, even as not one case of the virus there has been confirmed.

State officials called the shot after a two-hour afternoon conference call with district leaders who pushed for the school to reopen.

"We believe based on the information that we have at this point that there's really no compelling evidence to keep the school closed," said Brian Edwards of Montgomery County (web | news) Public Schools.

The state says it's still waiting on test results for the 11 probable cases, asking schools to remain patient. "So we're trying to understand how this virus is transmitted and at what rate and again the severity question," noted Frances Phillips, Maryland's Deputy Secretary of Health.

At Montpelier and University Park elementary schools, students don't have AP tests and high school sports to worry about, but administrators are considering sending out homework assignments. In both counties parents too say they're in a bind.

Montpelier parent Harriett Adu said she had to take off work because of the school's closing.

"I had to request off to stay home," Adu said. "I guess it's going to effect me, but I have to deal with it."

Rockville High School parent Alisa Mandel went further: "I think it's ridiculous," she said. "I think the county is over-reacting because they even haven't confirmed it's swine flu."

University Park's closings came as a surprise to some parents, who were not pleased by the sudden burden of having to care for school-aged children on a work day.

"Good for him, not for me," parent Rodney Bowman noted. "That was a shock. I mean, it was a shock when he came in and told me that the bus didn't come."

And parent Edna Dirado said, "I want my children to learn and I want my children to come here to the school and I don't have the money to pay someone to take care of my children now."

But Tetteh Packu, whose child is a Maryland elementary school student, appreciated the precautions taken by administrators. "Everything I have heard about the flu is scary and nobody is sure what is going on," she said.

Parents say they want to know when the schools will reopen. Some had planned to close for two weeks, saying they will not take any chances when it comes the to risk of transmission. Someone infected with swine flu is contagious for up to 10 days after showing symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control says. That has been the guideline for many school closures. Still, the CDC (web | news) is optimistic, saying the virus doesn't appear as severe as originally suspected.

Dr. Richard Besser of the CDC explained, "The word out of New York City, where they had a school cluster, is it spread very rapidly through that school, but what they were seeing was disease that was not that severe. And when it transmitted to people in the families, they were seeing disease that was not that severe. And that's encouraging."

Maryland health officials say have received kits from the federal government to confirm swine flu cases in the state, but it may take a day or two before state officials can start doing their own tests of the state's 11 remaining probable cases.

Nevertheless, for some Maryland elementary school parents, the next two weeks will be an ordeal. Though their children might not come into contact with the swine flu, working parents say their kids will still have to go somewhere.

Grandmother Marie Ekpere said, "I don't how you are going to cope with this. What about people who don't make arrangements for babysitter for this period?"

Meanwhile, three nearby college campuses are on alert because of the swine flu. A student at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has tested positive for the illness, and three university students in D.C. were probable cases. One student from Howard University and two from George Washington University have all recovered. All three schools remain open.

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