| | School Planning Updated Guidance for Schools for the Fall Flu Season
Updated federal guidelines offer state and local public health and school officials a range of options for responding to 2009 H1N1 influenza in schools, depending on how severe the flu may be in their communities. The guidance says officials should balance the risk of flu in their communities with the disruption that school dismissals will cause in education and the wider community.
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Overview and General Information - Joint Letter to Schools and School Districts Regarding H1N1 Influenza Preparations - June 11, 2009
It is critical for schools to plan to prevent disease transmission and protect students and staff, as well as local communities, from flu infection. Depending on the timing and severity of a potential fall H1N1 wave, interventions could include: extra measures to ensure that commonly touched surfaces are disinfected, strict enforcement of exclusion policies for students and staff with flu-like symptoms, or extended school closures. In addition, because schools could be used as vaccine distribution locations, schools should consider how they might accommodate such requests. While all of us want to do all we can to keep students engaged in learning and maintain a sense of normalcy, we need to be ready for whatever the fall may bring.
- School Dismissal Monitoring System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U. S. Department of Education)
Report novel influenza (H1N1) - related school or school district dismissal in the United States via an online form, email or fax. - H1N1 Flu Information (U.S. Department of Education)
Find FAQs and guidance for school leaders. - Guidance on Day and Residential Camps (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Provides general recommendations that apply to all programs and specific guidance that applies to residential programs. - Update on School (K – 12) and Child Care Programs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Get general guidance for both settings, and specific recommendations for child care programs. - Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education and Post-secondary Educational Institutions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Read guidance to institutions on ways to reduce the spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus in their communities. - Novel H1N1 Vaccination Guidance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Vaccination Guidance for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Health Officials
Checklists Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Education, these checklists can assist local educational agencies in developing and/or improving plans to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. Guidelines, Tools, and Reports - Legal Preparedness for School Closures in Response to Pandemic Influenza and Other Emergencies (Center for Law and the Public’s Health at Georgetown & Johns Hopkins Universities)
Review of the laws within each state that appear to expressly authorize school closure for extended periods during non-emergencies and declared emergencies. - Control of Pandemic Flu Virus on Environmental Surfaces in Homes and Public Places
Explains what and how to clean and disinfect surfaces to help prevent the spread of pandemic influenza.  |
CDC guidelines on actions, designed primarily to reduce contact between people, that community government and health officials can take to try to limit the spread of infection should a pandemic flu develop. Appendixes 5, 6, and 7 contain information for childcare programs, elementary schools, and colleges and universities. |
- Interim Public Health Guidance for the Use of Facemasks and Respirators in Non-Occupational Community Settings during an Influenza Pandemic (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Provides information on influenza transmission and gives recommendations on when to use masks and respirators in public settings and communities. Gives additional actions to reduce the possibility of infection. - Emergency Planning: Influenza Outbreak (U.S. Department of Education)
Access resources on how to prepare schools and colleges for an influenza pandemic.
The Department of Education has gathered information on state and local pandemic planning efforts to help others begin or refine their pandemic influenza plans.
Identifies issues to consider when planning for seasonal flu, a mild or moderate pandemic flu, or a severe pandemic. It tells what a "flu pandemic" is, how influenza spreads, and what can be done to limit the spread of the flu.
Guidance for educators and school officials focusing on implications of the type of prolonged school closure that is recommended for severe pandemics. Guidance is in question-answer format.
Resource for teaching high school biology students about avian influenza, specifically highly pathogenic H5N1.- No Ordinary Flu
Available in 21 languages. A comic book about an influenza pandemic. It also provides information about the 1918 influenza pandemic. (Public Health – Seattle & King County Advanced Practice Center)
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