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H1N1 PRECAUTIONS CDC Guidelines for 2009/2010 The District is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to help contain the spread of the H1N1 virus (swine flu), including: · Stay home when sick. Parent should monitor their child’s health every morning. Parents will be contacted to pick up their child if the student develops flu-like symptoms while at school. Students and staff with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24-hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. · Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Students and staff should step up basic health hygiene practices like the 3 Cs – clean, cover and contain. Taking these precautions is vital to limiting the spread of illness. o Clean – wash your hands frequently to prevent the spread of germs. o Cover - your cough or sneeze with your elbow or sleeve. o Contain – students and staff should stay home if they’re sick. The District works with three local county health departments depending where your school is located – Kane, Cook or Dupage. Symptoms of H1N1 The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to other strains of influenza, including fever and the onset of nasal congestion, sore throat, or a cough. School nurses and principals should refer to the procedures for tracking influenza-like cases for additional guidance. For copies contact District Safety. H1N1 Testing The CDC and local health departments are advising that testing for H1N1 will not occur as it did last spring. Therefore, schools will be screening students for flu-like symptoms. Vaccinations The health departments are recommending that staff, students and families receive a normal flu vaccine. When the vaccine becomes available for H1N1, it is likely that some schools will be used as vaccination centers after school hours. Vaccinations – School Use Please refer all inquiries for vaccines at school to District Safety for coordination and staffing. Illness If the District has a reasonable belief that an employee or a student has symptoms of an influenza-like illness, including fever with a cough or sore throat, he/she will be asked to stay home for 24 hours after fever free without using medication to reduce fever. Physician Clearance The student or employee may return earlier upon providing a physician's note allowing the individual to return to school/work. The physician should include on the note that the person does not have symptoms consistent with H1N1 and is fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. Cleaning Regular cleaning protocols are being followed. At this time, no additional cleaning has been recommended by the Department of Public Health. If the situation changes, high touch areas will be cleaned. Staff can clean their areas more often using approved cleaning materials from Plant Operations. School Closings Only the Superintendent can authorize a school closure. School closings due to H1N1 are not likely for 2009/2010 school year. The Superintendent will seek the advice and recommendation of state and local health departments prior to any decision to close a school. Education Plan School principals and teachers are asked to make plans to provide homework and lesson plans for students who become ill. In the event a school is closed due to high levels of flu, the school will remain open so teachers can update and revise their lesson plans for the school year, and can provide families access to instructional materials and homework. The District is establishing resources and guidelines to maintain the educational mission in the vent of a closure. Hand sanitizer The Kane County Regional Office of Education allows two bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to be stored in a classroom under adult supervision. One bottle is for active use and the other as a back up. The custodial staff will store supplies in accordance with these guidelines. Hand sanitizer will be supplied to schools in coming weeks. Procedures will be distributed at that time by District Safety. Attendance Student attendance will be monitored through the attendance system every day. Students identified with flu symptoms must be entered as “SIT” so that the District Safety Office can review, and report to the Superintendent as needed, any trends that may be cause for concern. Attendance for all schools must be reported to the county health departments by 4 PM. Schools must have attendance reports entered by 2:30 PM each day. Staff attendance will be monitored. If calling in sick, employees are asked to inform the supervisor if flu-like symptoms exist. Staff identified with flu symptoms shall remain home as consistent with health department recommendations. Information The U-46 web site has a page dedicated of information and resources for community members, staff and families regarding H1N1. Changes Please be aware that if the situation changes so may the response. Be prepared and be flexible. Questions? Please director questions to the District Safety Office 847-888-5000 ext. 5778. Information available on the web site at www.u-46.org FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) August 24, 2009 How will the District monitor how many students are sick? Attendance at each school will be tracked daily by the District Safety and Security Department. This is consistent with the local county health department daily reporting requirements. Each school reports attendance daily and the absence rates are monitored according to general absences, sick student, students identified as having flu symptoms, and students absent for precautionary reasons. This report will be reviewed by District Safety and sent to the county health departments daily by 4PM. As always, school nurses or staff members can report and unusually circumstances as they may or may not occur. My child is ill. Should I send him or her to school? No. Health department recommendations are that schools closely monitor any student or staff member for symptoms of flu. Symptoms include a fever at 100 degrees or higher, with a cough, nasal congestions, and/or a sore throat. Any student or staff member who has the symptoms of the flu will be excluded from school until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication to reduce fever. Parents are asked to help us monitor this situation closely. Please report if your student has flu like symptoms. If you have any questions, contact your school office. How can I protect myself from the H1N1 flu? Precautions to avoid getting, or spreading infection include: · Washing your hands often with soap and water – especially after you cough and sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners. · Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth – that’s how germs are spread. · If you get sick – stay home from work or school and limit your contact with other people to avoid infecting them. Parents should follow these same recommendations for their children. The health departments recommend family members stay home for 5 days. How will I know if something happens? District Safety and the Communications department will have a coordinated communication plan for staff and student families. The use of ConnectEd calls regarding H1N1will be limited to an emergency or required basis. Information will be made available on the internet. How will my child keep learning? If an extended absence is expected your school will provide homework. In the unlikely event a school is closed, a plan is being developed to keep teachers teaching and students learning using a variety of accessible resources such as the internet, home work hot lines, ConnectEd messages to grade levels, etc… Can I send hand sanitizer to school with my child? Beginning Monday, May 4, School District U-46 will be allowing the use of hand sanitizer in all schools and departments after receiving temporary authority to do so from the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Hand sanitizer use among students must be done only under the supervision of an adult, and bottles of hand sanitizer will be required to be stored in a secure area during times when an adult is not present. Parents who decide to send a bottle of hand sanitizer for their child’s classroom should ensure the bottle is given directly to a teacher or other adult in the school. According to the Kane County Regional Officer of Education, only two bottles can be stored in each classroom as supervised by a teacher. Extra bottles will be stored under normal guidelines. Are schools still using the Hand Sanitizer Program? Yes. Washing hands with normal soap and water is best, but hand sanitizer can be used to supplement normal hand washing. Each school will have hand sanitizer supplies should be used during the lunch times. Hand sanitizer requires adult supervision. How can I talk to my child about the H1N1 flu? The National Association of Psychologists, National Association of School Nurses, and the national PTA have developed a resource entitled Talking to Children About Swine Flu (H1N1). Is the District cleaning schools? Yes. Commonly touched surfaces will be cleaned as normal and routine. If the situation worsens the cleaning plan will be adjusted accordingly to clean high touch areas, such as stairway railings, elevator buttons, and door handles with approved disinfectants in all schools. Please note that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “extensive cleaning of schools by wiping down floors and walls prior to reopening is not necessary as it is unknown whether this would be helpful in decreasing the spread of influenza.” Are these “sick” buildings? No. According to Centers for Disease Control, flu viruses can survive on surfaces (such as books and doorknobs) for up to 2 to 8 hours. Paragraph deleted Where can I go for additional information? U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ Illinois Department of Public Health: www.idph.state.il.us Kane County Health Department: http://www.kanehealth.com/ DuPage County Health Department: http://www.dupagehealth.org/ Cook County Health Department: http://www.cookcountypublichealth.org/ Contact: Please contact your school if you are reporting absences. Any other inquiries regarding H1N1 can be made to: District U-46 Safety and Security Department Olga Vargas, Assistant 847-888-5000 x5778 John Heiderscheidt, Safety Coordinator 847-888-5000 x4263 |
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