Families of students in the White Bear Lake school district on Friday got report cards and a report they may not have expected: District officials confirmed that at least one student has come down with the new strain of swine flu and several more are suspected.

Reports of the latest school-related swine flu case capped a week of rapidly rising cases of the new strain of flu. State health officials said that approximately 50 new swine flu cases were confirmed on Friday, marking the second time in a week that reported cases have jumped sharply.

The Minnesota Department of Health had reported a total of about 130 confirmed cases as of early June. Then this week officials said the number of incoming cases had risen to about 30 per day for three days, bringing the state's total to 221 by late Thursday. The department had not posted a new case total as of late Friday.

"We have seen a significant uptick in cases in the last week or two," Health Department spokesman Buddy Ferguson said late Friday afternoon.

In e-mail and telephone blasts to parents and community members Friday afternoon, the White Bear Lake district said had it learned Thursday night that one student had a confirmed case of H1N1, and that several more are suspected.

The district declined to identify the school that the student attends, nor would it specify the number of other suspected cases in the district, but officials said they decided to disclose the new case so that families planning vacations and camp dates would have the information.

Identifying the school involved wouldn't be helpful information, said district Superintendent Michael Lovett, because health officials have said it's likely that "the virus is now endemic, in that it is in every school population" not just an individual school in his district. What's needed, he said, is for people to be vigilant in watching for flu-like symptoms, staying home when they are sick and getting treatment. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and sometimes vomiting.

Friday wasn't the first time the district was touched by the swine flu virus. In early May the district shut down a early childhood learning center for three days, reopening it after the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines for schools where cases of the virus were found.

The White Bear district has about 8,500 students in more than 13 schools, including eight elementary schools, two high schools, two middle schools and an alternative learning center.

Lovett said the recent swine flu case would not affect the district's graduation ceremonies on Friday night. Earlier this week Bloomington schools officials banned the customary handshake at graduation after two students came down with swine flu. Last week, the St. Paul school district reported its first case of swine flu.

"Things aren't any different in White Bear Lake probably than in any school district," said Lovett, adding that district officials have been working closely with state health experts.

White Bear Lake officials also said they plan to continue with their plans to hold summer school later this month.

Staff writer Dave Hage contributed to this report. Gregory A. Patterson • 612-673-7287