As the Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to monitor H1N1 influenza (swine flu), it has released school guidelines for the 2009-2010 school year.
The District may need to communicate with you in the event of extended school closures due to pandemic flu. Please make sure your correct e-mail address is in your
Family Access account.
NEW! List of pharmacies with H1N1 vaccine
Supply status may change, so check with the pharmacy before you go.
H1N1 fact sheet for caregivers of children with special healthcare needs
Students and staff do not need a note from a doctor to return to school or work
when they have been fever free without fever-reducing medicines for 24 hours and feel well enough to resume normal activity.
Frequently asked questions about the H1N1 vaccine
H1N1 vaccine doses are beginning to be delivered to the region. Public Health has compiled a collection of frequently asked questions about the vaccine.
Quick Flu Tips- an easy reference guide for families
The CDC recommends that decisions about school dismissals should be made locally, in conjunction with our regional agency Public Health–Seattle and King County (PHSKC). The recommendations remain the same as last spring: All students and staff with symptoms of influenza must be kept out of school during their period of illness and recuperation when they are potentially infectious to others. Public Health asks all parents to evaluate their children every morning. Schools must be vigilant for signs and symptoms of illness among students and staff. School nurses advise proper hand washing techniques to stop the spread of any influenza virus and emphasize staying home when you are sick. Increases in number or severity of cases may require additional school responses.
Important web resources for staff and parents
Wash Your Hands: The Right Way
When washing hands with soap and water:
- Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
- Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
- Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend.
- Rinse hands well under running water.
- Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
- Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean your hands. Alcohol-based hand rubs significantly reduce the number of germs on skin and are fast-acting.
When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:
- Apply product to the palm of one hand.
- Rub hands together.
- Rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry.
Don't spread your germs
Serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are spread by:
- Coughing or sneezing
- Unclean hands
To help stop the spread of germs:
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
- Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing:
- Wash with soap and water or
- Clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.