ALBANY -- New York health officials say they are working on a statewide system for tracking sick students amid the swine flu outbreak.

The state Health Department's statement Monday came after Gov. David Paterson raised concerns about the lack of a centralized system that could help detect flu cases earlier. An assistant principal at a New York City school died of swine flu Sunday.

State officials are scrambling to create a standardized monitoring system to gather information about absent students quickly, so potential outbreaks can be caught and schools closed before illness spreads.

The Health Department says schools will be asked to make daily reports to local health agencies when sickness spikes. Local officials will still decide whether schools stay open.