The health and safety of your children is a vital concern to the staff at Calvary Christian Academy. For this reason CCA follows the guidelines laid out by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus. Below is a partial list of the CDC’s recommendations for schools. To view the complete list of guidelines we follow, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/K12_dismissal.htm. It is likely that we will come across people in the course of our weeks at stores, church and even here at CCA who are infected with the H1N1 Virus and do not know it, so it is important that we take practical precautions to keep our children and ourselves germ free.
The Center for Disease Control recommends the following to help avoid the spread of the virus:
· Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds (long enough for children to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice).
· Cough and sneeze into a tissue. (If a tissue is used, throw the tissue away immediately).
· Stay at least six feet away from people who are sick.
· Stay home from school if sick, and stay away from sick people until they are better.
For more information on Novel Influenza A and how you can help to avoid the spread of the virus, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm.
The Center for Disease Control’s Recommendations for Schools
- School dismissal is not advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and, in general, is not advised unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function.
- Students, faculty or staff with influenza-like illness (fever with a cough or sore throat) should keep away from others as much as possible, stay home, and not attend school or go into the community (except to seek medical care or for other necessities) for at least 24 hours after fever is gone. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
- Students, faculty and staff who appear to have an influenza-like illness at arrival or become ill during the day should be isolated promptly in a room separate from other students and sent home.
- 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 old and younger due to the risk of Reye syndrome. Refer to pediatric medical management for guidance regarding use of any medications, especially those containing aspirin. (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinicians/)
- Parents and guardians should monitor their school-aged children, and faculty and staff should self-monitor every morning for symptoms of influenza-like illness.
- Ill students should not attend alternative child care or congregate in other neighborhood and community settings outside of school.
- School administrators should communicate regularly with local public health officials to obtain guidance about reporting of influenza-like illnesses in the school
- Schools can help serve as a focus for educational activities aimed at promoting ways to reduce the spread of influenza, including hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Students, faculty and staff should stringently follow sanitary measures to reduce the spread of influenza, including covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or coughing or sneezing into their sleeve if a tissue isn’t available), frequently washing hands with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer if hand washing with soap and water is not possible.
