The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) held a joint briefing earlier this summer to discuss the return of both the H1N1 Virus and students this fall.  The goal of the meeting was to help school officials better prepare and communicate the potential return of the H1N1 Virus.  Here are some of the key takeaway items that I found useful for school districts: 

·         Data collection regarding schools reporting closures and projected re-openings to determine how schools can effectively determine the best course of action depending on the severity of the pandemic. 

·         The CDC and DOE are working together in writing and distributing a form that can be emailed, faxed, or filled out online by any school employee or local health organization in order to increase percentage of schools communicating and responding to the H1N1 Virus. 

·         The CDC and DOE encourages school districts to be proactive in planning for the potential return of the H1N1 Virus.  Do you have a plan in place for the new  school year? 

·         To effectively reduce transmission among students, ensure your students are utilizing healthy hygienic habits (washing hands, using tissues…) Remind parents of these healthy habits by including information on the website or through a PTO/PTA newsletter. 

·         If there is a school closure, school districts must stress that parents keep their children home as much as possible to avoid the spread of the H1N1 Virus.  

·         There is no uniform response when communicating concerns about the H1N1 Virus. Evaluate the pandemic on a case-by-case basis in order to effectively communicate to your public. 

Below are several resources that I found will help you to better understand the H1N1 Virus in order for your school district to successfully communicate to its public.  There are also some great examples of plans and planning efforts.   

Department of Education’s H1N1 Virus website

Centers for Disease Control’s H1N1 Virus website

Government’s pandemic flu websiteWebinar on pandemic flu

Assessment of states’ operational plans to combat pandemic influenza

Examples of plans and planning efforts