Level 5 Swine Flu Recommendations

Be ready with your school's Incident Command Center and Educational Continuity Plan. Video by Dr. Sonayia Shepherd.

Level 5 Swine Flu Recommendations

The following recommendations are provided by school safety expert, Dr. Sonayia Shepherd, with Safe Havens International:

• Continue to follow public health guidelines.
  
  
• Activate the School Incident Command Center for all direct report staff, with direct link to local health department and, if possible, to the State Emergency Operations Center and/or State Health Division via local agencies.
  
  
• Alert Secondary Incident Command Center staff, in case primary staff members are unable to man the Incident Command Center.
  
  
• Activate information hotline for parents and staff; update hotline information daily (at least), website information, and provide media updates (in collaboration with local health department and/or State Health Department); make certain that health-related information and pandemic updates have been verified for accuracy by the local health department and/or State Health Departments.
  
  
• Activate Crisis Management Team for student and staff psychological support.
  
  
• Closely monitor staff and student attendance and provide reports to the local health department twice daily and to the Incident Command Center.
  
  
• Do not enroll new students without immunization records or approval from the local health department, based on immunization and other health guidelines provided by the local health department, the State Health Department and/or the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  
  
• Human Resources reports to the Incident Command Center when any school, service, or support absences escalate.
  
  
• Human Resources contacts substitute teachers to determine availability for staffing.

• Pre-stage implementation of Educational Continuity Plans (i.e., study packets; cable access; local library system; on-line classes, etc.).
  
  
• Pre-stage partial school closure or full school closure.
  
  
• All field trips cancelled or called back (if appropriate).
  
  
• Do not accept students or staff with flu-like symptoms.
  
  
• Isolate and send home staff or students with flu-like symptoms.
  
  
• An appropriate room for isolation should have been designated and will be utilized and supervised at this time. Access to this room should be strictly limited and monitored.
  
  
• A school bus may be designated to transport sick students home (buses should be used in this capacity ONLY as an emergency measure when no one is available to pick the child up at school); buses should have an adult monitor.
  
  
• Students and staff with flu-like symptoms will be asked to stay home. Absences should be reported to the school attendance office throughout the school day, instead of once a day.
  
  
• Those allowed into the school building will be screened for flu-like symptoms. Each person cleared to enter the building will be given something to indicate that they are free to enter the building (e.g. a sticker, a card, a stamp on their hand).
  
  
• Adults and students accompanied by an adult may be excluded from entry into the school and instructed to call their health care providers for advice and evaluation.