District Update on H1N1
Resources
Talking with children about H1N1
Seasonal & Novel H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Parents
Take 3 Steps to Fight the Flu
Parent Letter
August 25, 2009
Dear Parents,
Welcome to another great year in the Papillion-La Vista School District! As this school year begins, I wanted to take a moment to update you on how the District is handling the recent reports of Influenza A, also known as H1N1. As you know the health and safety of all students and staff is a top priority for the Papillion-La Vista School District.
The H1N1 flu has received extensive attention in the media and we too have given this new virus extensive attention. We are in regular contact with the local and state health department and routinely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. We thought it was important to share with you what we expect regarding this new flu; our plans for prevention and communication; and the guidelines for handling reported cases.
What do we expect?
We are anticipating that we will have several cases of Influenza A throughout this year. With this increase in influenza we are asking for everyone to take precautionary measures at all times. Due to the expected number of cases, we will not be sharing with parents every time a new case is reported. However, if we have a large number of students absent from one particular school or a particular class or we have any reason to be alarmed we will certainly share that information with parents.
What precautionary measures are being taken by the PLSD?
In an effort to minimize the number of influenza cases, the PLSD has trained staff on symptoms of Influenza A. Students exhibiting symptoms will be sent to the nurse’s office and the student’s parents will be notified. Staff are also taking extra efforts to encourage proper hand washing among students. Extra attention will also be given to the routine cleaning of areas that students and staff often touch.
What are the symptoms of the flu?
What will the school do if a child displays symptoms?
The PLSD will be immediately contacting the parents of any child displaying flu-like symptoms. If a child is running a temperature they will not be allowed back into school until the child has been fever free for 24 hours without medication or has a doctor’s note.
As always we are asking all parents to partner with us in maintaining healthy schools. We encourage parents to:
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Talk with your children about proper hand washing, using soap and hot water for 20 seconds.
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Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into their sleeve or the inside of the elbow.
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Keep your children home if they are sick. Students running a fever should not return to school until they are fever free without medication for 24 hours.
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Develop alternative plans for child care now, have a plan in place for what you will do if your child is sick.
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Communicate with the school if your child is exhibiting flu-like symptoms. If your child is reported sick, the school will ask about symptoms. This is an effort to monitor any type of outbreak that may occur.
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Contact your child’s physician with any questions you may have regarding health risks for your child.
We want to assure you that we are taking this new form of flu seriously and we will continue to monitor guidelines distributed by the CDC and/or the Health Department. However, we also understand that we are going to have numerous cases. We would encourage you to look at the “For Parents” section of the School District Web site www.paplv.org for any updates, handouts or tips on dealing with the flu. Please feel free to contact your child’s school nurse or principal with any questions. Thanks for partnering with us to maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students to learn.
Sincerely,
Rick Black, Ed.D.
Superintendent