USD 332 Cunningham – West Kingman County

Pandemic Flu Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan

H1N1

The purpose of the Pandemic Flu Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan is to assist in managing the impact of an influenza pandemic on schools based on two main

strategies:

1) Reducing the spread of the virus within school facilities; and

2) Sustaining educational functions.

The Cunningham - West Kingman County USD 332 school district administration has been reviewing current Pandemic Flu Plans and has planned for the imminent risk of the H1N1 virus becoming widespread this fall and wants to communicate the following recommendations for our schools:

Students and School Staff:

1. School closure will NOT occur, unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student

absenteeism that interferes with the school's ability to function.

2. Stay home when you are sick. Students, faculty and all staff with influenza-like

illness (fever with cough or sore throat), should stay home and not attend school or go

into the community except to seek medical care. The CDC is recommending that those

with flu-like illness stay home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone, without using fever-reducing medications, such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin). Check with your healthcare provider for updated information on specific guidance on when to return to school and watch for updates on the Cunningham - West Kingman County District website and in school newsletters! The CDC is also recommending students and staff that have a family member in the household that is sick, they other members should not attend school as well.

3. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Students, faculty and staff who

appear to have, or develop during the school day, influenza-like symptoms should be

isolated promptly in a room separated from other students and staff, and sent home.

4. Cover your mouth and nose, and wash your hands. Follow sanitary measures to

reduce the spread of influenza, including covering their nose and mouth with a tissue

when coughing or sneezing, coughing into their sleeve or elbow, frequently washing their hands with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer if hand washing with soap is not possible.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Pathogens are often spread when a

person touches something that is contaminated and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.

5. Open communication with student and parents to continue with assignments and

coursework, when students are absent from school.

Parents:

1. Monitor for illness. Parents and guardians should monitor their school-aged children,every morning for symptoms of influenza-like illness, and should NOT send them to school or to daycare if symptoms are present.

2. Report ALL absences from school. Call the school and report specific symptoms,

disease or reason student is not in school to assist with symptom/disease surveillance.

Also, make sure the school has correct contact and emergency numbers to allow for

prompt pick-up if influenza-like symptoms occur.

3. Aspirin or aspirin-containing products should NOT be administered to any

confirmed or suspected ill case of novel H1N1 influenza, virus infection aged 18 years

and younger, due to the risk of Reye's syndrome. For more information visit the CDC

website at:

5. Stay home. If your child is ill, with influenza-like symptoms they should not attend

alternative child care or congregate in other neighborhood and community settings. The CDC is also recommending students and staff that have a family member in the household that is sick, they other members should not attend school as well.

6. Stay informed! Check your child's book bag daily to monitor for written updates

from the school. Visit the Cunningham - West Kingman County USD 332 website to view current updates on H1N1.

Planning and Response to the possibility of school closure includes the following:

Business Operations

In the event schools are closed, the Cunningham - West Kingman County School Board Office will stay open. School missed will be made up to the 1116 hours required immediately after the final day of the published school calendar or using some Fridays when school is not scheduled pending board of education action with a minimum of 30 days notice.

The Superintendent would decide at that time who would need to report for work. Example: Depending on the time of the month, the Superintendent may call in Custodial, Food Service, secretarial, Principal, or technology personnel.

Everyone would continue to get paid as usual. Stopping payment would create undo

hardship on classified employees. Hourly employee’s, who are not twelve month

employees, would be asked to sign an agreement stating they would come back and

work the extended school year without pay. We may have a few who would take advantage of this but the consequence would be dismissal. Twelve month employees would not receive additional compensation. Faculty would just work the make up days in exchange for the days school was closed.

Protection of records would continue as they are now with continued off site storage

of records and computer back ups.

The Superintendent will provide all working employees with personal protective equipment as directed by the Kingman County Health Agency and will

Communication with local and state agencies on reopening schools and recommendations to follow.

The Superintendent will have messages on the district main line and website stating the status of the schools and the Central Office respectively if the district is shut down.

Building Operations

In case of a pandemic and school closure, only “essential personnel” will be expected

to work in his/her respective buildings. Essential personnel shall be defined by the Superintendent. All reporting personnel would be expected to utilize personal protective equipment as deemed necessary by Kingman county authorities.

All buildings should be checked for security daily by the principal.

If a building was designated and used as a Point of Dispensing site (POD) for the

Kingman County Health Agency, staff would provide assistance as needed to

the designated site. It would be expected that Kingman County authorities

would be directing school personnel to appropriate duties. The Superintendent will act as liaison between the school and county.

Communications

Timely and accurate information regarding school closures and reopening, will be

provided to all school district staff, students and parents through district newsletters,

website, letters to parents, hotlines, and telephone trees, and e-mails. In order to assist with the communication process. Local television and radio stations will also play an

important role just as with weather closures.

Pandemic Flu- What is a pandemic disease?

It is an outbreak of an infectious disease that affects people over an extensive

geographical area. The pandemic flu that has been most recently in the news has also

been called H1N1 flu. As we know, initial cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) in the

United States included school-aged students who were associated with travel to Mexico. Since that time H1N1 has gained momentum, and in just over 100 days has spread from two countries in one continent to 160 countries in every continent of the world. Already the pandemic strain has claimed about 800 lives worldwide, three times the number lost to the “bird flu” virus since 2003. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the next two years 20 to 40 percent of the US population will be stricken, with many of the cases compressed into “waves” of infection lasting eight to 12 weeks. The number of pandemic-related deaths will range from 90,000 to “several hundred thousand,” according to the CDC.

In Kansas, as many as 10,000 cases have already occurred, with confirmed disease now reported in 35 counties throughout the state. Ordinarily flu is not seen during summer months, but more counties have been newly confirmed with H1N1 disease during July than in any previous month. The pattern of cases here, as in other states, points to a distinctly higher risk for the young. The average age for confirmed cases in Kansas is just 17 years, with about 80 percent of cases occurring before the age of 35 years. Although the elderly would comprise a majority of severe cases in a normal flu season, cases of H1N1 flu are relatively rare in people over 65 years of age (KDHE, July 2009).

What can you and your family do to find out more?

Log onto www.usd332.org and go to the link regarding Pandemic flu. We will update you with information if it should be necessary to put our school district “Pandemic Flu Plan” into effect.

Log onto http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm for the most recent advice regarding the virus and how to prepare for a possible pandemic.

If our schools would be forced to close for a period of time because of a pandemic, what are some websites that would be good resources for students learning at home?

Safe Searching, Games, Activities—All ages

http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/defa

ult.cfm

http://www.beritsbest.com/

http://home.core.com/web/start/family

http://www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus317837/eus317922/r%3fl&iabw&

http://www.netsmartzkids.org/games/index.htm

http://www.wiredkids.org/safesites/index.html

All Ages—

http://www.edhelper.com/

http://www.kidsreads.com/

http://www.learningplanet.com/

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/home/index.html

http://www.mothers-home.com/activities/sherri2.htm

http://www.rif.org/parents/

http://www.storiestogrowby.com/

Primary Age

http://life.familyeducation.com/baby/toddler/34411.html

http://www.noggin.com/index.php

http://pbskids.org/rogers/

http://www.primarygames.com/

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/

Preschool-Upper Elementary

http://www.crayola.com/index.cfm

http://disney.go.com/playhouse/today/index.html

http://www.funschool.com/

http://www.funwithspot.com/

http://www.playkidsgames.com/

Elementary

http://www.abcteach.com

http://disney.go.com/kids/today/index.html

http://fun.familyeducation.com/education/extracurricular-activities/33400.html

http://www.kidsgames.org/

http://www.mathplayground.com/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

http://pbskids.org/

http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/

http://www.starfall.com/

Elementary-Middle School

http://blackdog.net

http://www.ltta.ca/

http://kids.ot.com/

http://www.poetry4kids.com/index.php

http://www.funbrain.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/

Upper Elementary-Middle School

http://www.cyberkids.com/

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/units/units_with_books.htm

http://www.midcoast.com.au/~ttc/worksheet1.html

http://zone.msn.com/en/root/word.htm

http://www.sikids.com/

Upper Elementary-High School

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt

http://www.coolmath.com/

http://www.marcopoloeducation.

com/teacher/lesson_plan_content_index.aspx?ResourceType=2

http://www.madsci.org/

http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html

http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/

http://www.visualfractions.com/

Public Information Liaison

Agencies/Contacts

1. http://www.Flu.gov/

2. Kansas Department of Education – Dale Dennis, Mark Thompson

3. Kansas Association of School Boards – Tom Krebs

4. Center for Disease Control

5. KDHE The district Health Services Director will be the liaison between the district and the county. School emergency preparedness plans will be developed collaboratively with the agencies available in our county.

The district will cooperate with table talk discussions to prepare for the crisis. The district will participate in exercises of the community's pandemic plan.

The Superintendent will communicate with the media/families on an as needed basis.

The district Health Services Director will develop in concert with the local health

department a surveillance system that would alert the local health department to a

substantial increase in absenteeism among students. The Superintendent will advise district staff, students and families where to find up-to-date and reliable pandemic information from federal, state and local public health sources.

PREVENTION PROCEDURES

Building

1. Desks will be wiped down with disinfectant before each new student occupies the desk.

2. Students will remain in one assigned place while in classrooms.

3. Classrooms will be issued disinfectant spray with disposable paper wipes and safety items to disinfect surfaces especially after broadcasted sneezes or coughs.

4. Masks and other safety items will be available for voluntary wear by persons with some symptoms or mandatorily if required by the Health Department.

5. Custodians will use disinfectant aerosol “bombs” in large common areas and classrooms where a significant number of symptoms were observed. (A 3.5 hour time must lapse before re-occupancy)

6. Custodians will wipe all common area door handles, water fountains, restroom fixtures and other commonly touched surfaces at least every four hours.

7. Staff exhibiting a fever of 100 degrees or greater must depart school property. Sick leave will apply to the absence.

8. Students exhibiting a fever of 100 degrees or greater will be required to be taken from the campus by parent, guardian, emergency contact or parental designee. Until arrangements are made, such students will be isolated in the Civil Air Patrol room of the high school with staff supervision should sick rooms by offices become over crowded.

9. Emergency blankets, and mats will be made available to students waiting for transportation. Mats and blankets will be cleaned thoroughly after each use.

10. Students and staff that do not have a temperature of 100 degrees or greater, but demonstrate significant other respiratory symptoms will be encouraged to leave the campus. The administration will have the final decision as to if a student or staff member may remain on campus.

Transportation

1. Seats and seat backs and other commonly touched surfaces such as handles and window latches will be sprayed with disinfectant before each route is run.

2. Drivers will report any information concerning illness of students or symptoms observed.

3. In the event that there are insufficient district drivers to run routes normally, routes may be delayed in order to allow drivers to run multiple routes or have substitute drivers from other districts assist.

4. Students will be assigned seats and remain in them while being transported.

Food Service

1. No non-food service personnel will be permitted in the food preparation areas.

2. All Surface areas of tables chair backs and seats, handles, and other commonly contacted services will be wiped down with disinfectant before each service is conducted.

3. Masks or other safety devices will be worn voluntarily by staff or mandatorily when directed by the Health Department.

4. No sharing of food or drinks will be permitted.

Personnel and Student Actions

1. All persons entering the schools will wash their hands for at least 20 seconds using soap and hot water or alcohol based hand sanitizer before proceeding to other areas of the buildings.

2. Hand washing as described in number one previously, will be conducted and supervised by staff before entering the cafeteria.

3. Staff who do not wish to work when school is declared “open” will be docked personal leave first and then docked daily wages unless absence has been called in for use of sick leave. Upon the third day of sick leave used medical documentation will be required to prevent deduction in pay and clearance to return to work.

4. Persons leaving campus due to a fever of 100 degrees or higher or who have used sick leave, must have their temperature checked upon return and it must be below 100 degrees.

Written 9/09