As guidance from various sources makes clear, this flu season will likely strike earlier, last longer and affect more people. We need to take all necessary precautions to limit the outbreak of the flu, to have protocols in place for students who may be spending time at home and outside of the classroom because of H1N1, and to be prepared for the eventuality of a school closing.

 

-          Have hand sanitizers available in all classroom spaces and encourage students to use them.

-          Encourage students to wash their hands frequently during the day. Teach them how to do this effectively – it takes at least 20 seconds (the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday) to kill germs using soap and water.

-          Have students wash or sanitize their hands before going to lunch.

-          Teach students to cover their coughs with tissue or cough into their elbow when necessary. Discard tissue after each use. (“Why Don’t We Do It In Our Sleeves” is a 5-min. video that does a nice job of teaching young kids how to cover their coughs.)

-          Encourage families to have their students immunized with the regular flu and H1N1 vaccines.

-          If students develop flu-like symptoms at school, separate them from their peers until they can go home.

-          Have personal protective equipment (such as masks) available for school nurses and other staff caring for sick people at school.

-          Limit the number of staff who care for ill students.

-          Keep sick students at home. Students can return to school 24 hours after flu-like symptoms have disappeared and their fever has been less than 100 without use of fever-reducing medications. – Same for faculty and staff.

-          Place Prevention of Flu Posters throughout the School (available at flu.gov)

 

 

-          There is NO special disinfection cleaning procedure beyond routine cleaning

-          Routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often (keyboards, telephones) with the cleaners they typically use.

-          Have students and staff use sanitizer prior to using keyboards and telephones.

-          Ensure that buses are wiped down regularly.

 

-          The goal is to ensure the continuity of learning in the event of extended student absence or school dismissals by providing continuous learning ranging from take-home assignments to online learning capabilities

o   How will student access available academic resources from home?

o   What equipment and other resources are available or need to be acquired to enable school and district learning continuity plans?

§ Hard copy packets: Reference materials, curriculum and assignments can be prepared in advance for distribution to affected students;

§ Online materials: Digital copies of reference materials, assignments, and audio-visual learning supports can be made available on the Internet using school websites;

§ Teacher check-ins and tutorials: Make use of email and/or web conferencing to facilitate one-on-one interaction between students and teachers during prolonged absences or dismissals;

§ Recorded class meetings: Using audio or video technology, recorded class meetings via podcasts, live or on-demand television (RETN?) DVD, or online;

§ Live class meetings: Use webinars, online courses, or virtual schools with two-way interaction between the teacher and students;

o   Teachers must have sub plans ready ahead of time (at school or sent electronically) so that they do not come to school to prepare them while they themselves are sick (or accompanied by sick children).

 

 

-          Cross-train to ensure that key work can be completed in the absence of the primary worker.

-          Develop a plan to cover key staff positions – school nurse e.g.

 

 

-          Because school closing has only limited effectiveness in slowing disease transmission, but presents major difficulties in communities, the goal is to keep schools open and minimize transmission in the schools by emphasizing the points above.

-          HOWEVER, if 30% of our student body is absent, or a school is unable to find qualified substitutes because of the high rate of teacher absences, schools, in consultation with the Dept of Health, and in coordination with the Superintendent, will/ may close for an extended period of time.

-          The length of time schools would be dismissed would vary depending on the type of dismissal as well as the severity and extent of illness. Likely, schools would initially be dismissed for 5-7 calendar days, after which the situation would be reassessed to determine whether or not to resume classes after that period.

-          Schools would remain open to teachers and staff so they can continue to provide instruction through other means.

 

-          Letters to parents, Alert Now postings, web postings will be consistent across the SU. Check with Fran Williams prior to adding a new post, sending home a letter, etc. to ensure a common message.

 

 

 

www.flu.gov                           including Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools K-12 and Posters for Prevention of Flu

http://www.ed.gov/h1n1flu    full list of online resources available from the USDE