An 11-year-old boy has been told to stay home from school after his school board learned he had visited Mexico, although he has no flu symptoms.

Marco Deveaux, 11, went to Mexico on vacation with his family. Relaxed and healthy, Marco went back to school and had no problems until a particular teacher took issue with his travels.

Deveaux said the teacher told him he should stay home because he might have the H1N1 flu.

"No, no, no, I don't have it," Deveaux recalled telling the teacher.

The teacher told him to stay away from her, and when he approached her to touch her as a joke, she ran away, Deveaux added.

He said students went out of their way to avoid him after the teacher made the comments.

"It made me feel really bad," Deveaux said.

His principal later told him he was "really lucky" because he was going to be getting a "vacation".

"She said there's a new rule that all people that just came from Mexico or who have symptoms of the flu have to be put out of the school for one week," Deveaux said.

The chairman of the English Montreal School Board told CTV Montreal's Cindy Sherwin the new policy is a precaution and not an overreaction.

She said she has received calls from parents who support the board's decision, because they feared their own children were at risk of getting sick if they were exposed to a peer who had just returned from Mexico.

Still, the EMSB advisory runs contrary to official health guidelines.

"It's been stated clearly on many occasions that people who are healthy regardless of where they have been are free and should go about their normal activities," said Terry Tannenbaum of the Montreal Public Health Department on Thursday.

Mancini dismissed that assertion.

"This is an internal decision that's been taken. We have not necessarily gone to the public health officials to ask their opinion. I think we have a right as a school board to govern ourselves the way we feel," she said.

Dr. Earl Rubin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, said he understands the school's reaction - but added that a child is only going to be infectious to others if he's symptomatic.

"It is perfectly reasonable for them to ask that this child be screened before coming to school on a daily basis within the seven days of the return from Mexico, and if there are any symptoms - fever or respiratory - that the child not come to school," he said.

"But to exclude him just because of the travel at this point in time, is not founded."

Meanwhile, Deveaux said he is looking forward to returning to school next Wednesday so he can see his friends.

"I want them to know that I'm okay, and I'm fine, and I'm really healthy," he said.