Swine Flu & Schools

[JJJ]

Our school district is very proactive. We got a 3-page double-sided letter home today about the procedures they have implemented (extra hand washing breaks, extra hand sanitizers in the classrooms, extra cleanings of the rooms by the janitors, etc). All common sense things to do.

One of the things that they "may implement if the flu becomes more severe. (1) active fever and flu symptom screening as students and staff arrive at school (2) dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick"

While I agree that if the child has swine flu, keeping them home a week is a good idea, but what if it is just a cold. My kids are usually pretty healthy but my niece could miss the whole year if every time she is sick they send her home for a week!!!

Here's hoping the swine flu just goes away!

 

[totoro]

We had info come home a couple of weeks ago, but our Nurse gave a speech saying she will not overreact and she will make sure our children are truly sick.
They said let's not send everyone into a panic, which I thought was pretty cool.
So far we have not had any thing bad...

 

[gcvmom]

The aspect of the H1N1 virus that really concerns me is two-fold: this week doctors learned that the virus can be transmitted up to a week after the fever is gone, and it is also found in stool and urine sample; and of the people who have died from the virus, autopsy's found that there was permanent damage to the alveoli in the lungs. It was described as avian flu on steroids.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32863511

Since my difficult child 1 has asthma and invariably gets a nasty cough even with mild colds, I am very nervous about this virus. Whenever the vaccine becomes available, I plan to have him get it.

 

[tiredmommy]

I just kept Duckie home yesterday because she had the makings of a nasty cold. No fever materialized so I sent her back today. She catches about a cold every 4 to 6 weeks during the school year so I would have to have her receive services at home if they made her stay home for a week with each cold... that would be about 9 weeks of absences!

 

[Wiped Out]

We received an e-mail today that is a lesson plan of how to tell the kids about what the swine flu is and the importance of hand washing, we're suppose to demonstrate good hand washing to the kids. They had everything scripted for us. No way I would use their words but we have talked about it and will again. Our policy is kids can return after their fever is gone for a day. However, I heard they may go back to the stay home for 7 day thing. Since I don't even have that many sick days no way I'd be able to do that! However, because of my Addison's disease, I should be able to get the first batch of the vaccine.