McGraw-Hill Education Experts Offer Advice on School Preparedness for H1N1 Outbreaks
School district leaders planning for H1N1 pandemics should update
emergency plans using a four-step process, according to the McGraw-Hill
Education Urban Advisory Resource, a team of former educators and
school administrators dedicated to serving the unique needs of large
school districts.
"While
most superintendents have a lot of experience creating and implementing
emergency plans to deal with natural disaster, terrorism and school
violence, dealing with a pandemic is outside the scope of anyone's
experience," said Arthur Griffin, Jr., senior vice president of the
Urban Advisory Resource and former chairman of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., school board.
Dr.
Stan Paz, vice president of the Urban Advisory Resource and former
superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District, explains that the
four-step process for pandemic preparation begins with education.
District leaders have a responsibility to inform students and parents
about the dangers of H1N1.
Working
very closely with local health departments, administrators need to
communicate all the information -- how H1N1 is transmitted, what can be
done to protect a family, what the symptoms are -- in multiple ways and
in every language appropriate for the district. Information can be
placed in district newsletters, on district-owned television and radio,
and on web sites.
Second,
school leaders need to work with the health officials to begin
prevention by re-educating students on ways to practice good hygiene:
frequent hand washing, proper cough and sneeze behavior, and making it
a habit to keep fingers away from faces.
Third,
preparation must include the anticipation of very specific procedures
and policies, such as guidelines for when children may not attend
school, staff absentee policies and school closure guidelines. Many
additional issues, such as what happens when children miss mandatory
standardized tests, must be considered.
This
preparation includes having multiple communication strategies in place,
including toll-free hot lines, telephone trees, e-mail, fax, cell
phones and broadcast, to inform staff and families about the status of
the pandemic and district actions.
Fourth,
plan for the long haul to educate the children after schools are closed
after an outbreak. A menu of possibilities can be considered including
home instruction using parents as teachers with materials sent to the
home or provided through online distance learning.
"While
no one ever wants to plan for these types of situations, preparing in
advanced can help everyone remain calm and able to respond in an
effective way," Griffin said.