RIRIE — Schools in the Ririe area will be closed for the rest of the week due to widespread illness among the school population, according to a district statement. The statement, issued Wednesday afternoon by Ririe School District 252 Superintendent Jeff Gee, announced the cancellation of all classes at Ririe Elementary School and Ririe Junior-Senior High School. The schools are experiencing a “high number of student and staff absences related to illness,” Gee said. Gee pointed out that only classes are canceled, and other previously scheduled events at the schools will continue as planned. Last week, Hazel Stuart Elementary in Shelley School District 60 closed for an extended weekend for the same reason.