GRAFTON, Mass. -- Grafton High School will close for two days next week and cancel all sports and extracurricular activities because of a suspected swine flu outbreak.

On Friday, 46 percent of students were absent with flu-like symptoms and 43 percent of the faculty also called in sick. The school department dismissed classes at 11 a.m. Friday and classes will not be held on Monday or Tuesday.

"We got to the point where we had such a number of faculty reporting out ill that we didn’t feel we could operate the school in an effective, safe manner any longer," School Superintendent Joseph Connors said.

Other schools in the town will remain open.

Absences have been increasing at the high school for the past five days.

"I had a fever for a few days and a really bad cough. I think it started with homecoming on Friday when everyone was in the gym together," another student said.

"When I came back, I was astonished at the amount of people l who aren’t here. The parking lost are empty every morning. My mom brought me to school the other day and she can't believe this many people are not at school," one student said.

Parents were notified of the changes by automated phone messages and e-mails.

School officials are asking students not to socialize during the break to stop the virus from spreading.

"We think it is pivotal that students do not co-mingle and gather during this break period. Our intention is that we can break the cycle by separating students, and, ideally, keep the healthy student away from student who are ill," Connors said.

The town's two elementary schools have not reported a spike in absenteeism.

Friday's Grafton-Leicester football game has been moved to Thursday, Nov. 17. The Destination Imagination conference will not be held, school officials said.