Identify a district committee to provide guidance to school sites regarding pandemic flu preparations.
District committee review district communicable disease policies and procedures.
Determine any additional policies/procedures that may need to be in place and what translation needs to be done.
District committee may address the following:
Develop a communication plan for possible school closures.
Determine the length of time a student needs to be in school for revenue generation.
Work with human resources regarding schools functioning with 30% of work force absent. Look at alternatives of staggered school times, changes in busing, and telecommunication.
Work with the business office regarding payroll continuation with 30% of work force absent.
Develop system for receiving daily reporting on numbers of students and staff absent because of flu.
Each school identify a committee of three to four persons responsible for developing a timeline and overseeing the implementation of:
Pandemic flu preparations and possible interventions
An Incident Command Center that receives communication from the district office and Public Health - Seattle & King County.
School site committee may address the following:
Identify individual(s) to educate staff about pandemic flu.
Identify individual(s) to educate students about hand-washing, covering cough with a tissue, and staying home when sick.
Identify individual(s) to educate families about pandemic flu and school plan.
Identify individual to make sure each room has either soap and running water for hand-washing and if not provide alcohol-based hand-washing product. Place Kleenex in each room.
Distribute and post in each classroom the Stop Germs, Stay Healthy poster.
Review current pandemic influenza response plan from Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Continue educating staff, families, and students on pandemic flu prevention and plans for the school.
Develop at each school an incident command center management protocol to include the following activities:
Identify chain of command in case of illness. Establish a back-up command adding at least additional tiers.
Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students and families.
Identify information to be translated. Identify which languages are represented in student population.
Identify and recruit translators; translate information into a template form so that only minor changes will need to be made at time of outbreak.
Develop procedures for communicating with Public Health – Seattle & King County and the media.
Identify procedure for communicating possible school schedule changes, busing changes and school closure guidelines.
Review procedures for sending ill individuals home and make adjustments if necessary.
Checklist #3 - Response
Identify the number of staff and students daily absent with pandemic flu.
Report numbers absent to district office and Public Health – Seattle & King County if requested to do so.
Have translators review information templates and finalize the information that will be provided to non-English speaking families.
Activate your incident command management system as warranted.
Identify information that needs to be communicated to staff, students, and families, and the frequency and method of communication.
Hold faculty/staff meetings and provide information on extent of infection at school site and possible changes that may take place at the school.
Document critical actions taken during the response.
Conduct timely debriefings to identify lessons learned and make necessary changes to the response plan.
Checklist #4 - Recovery
Pre-planning for recovery:
Identify and pre-screen health and grief service providers.
Develop template letters.
Provide training for school staff regarding grief and possible health problems.
Mobilize the Crisis Recovery Team that provides emotional-psychological support.
If there is a loss of life in the school community establish location site or “Safe Room” for counseling services to be provided.
Hold faculty/staff meeting and provide information on extent of pandemic flu in the community and activities that may assist students; signs and symptoms to look out for and safe room function and location.
Announce counseling support services available to faculty and staff.
Announce counseling support services that are available to students.
Provide rest places for those who tire easily.
Provide physical assessments if needed if staff are available or make appropriate community health referrals.
Send letter home to families.
Make educational materials available to families on topics such as how to support your student with their recovery from pandemic flu, common symptoms of loss and grief, and constructive ways to cope with stress.
Make educational materials available to staff on topics such as recovering from the flu, and common symptoms and constructive ways to cope with stress.
Establish working relationship with Employee Assistance Programs.
Identify students, families and staff who may need long-term physical and mental health support or intervention and develop the school and community resources to provide these services.
Monitor the effects of cumulative stress on caregivers such as office staff, school nurses, teachers, aides, school counselors and other crisis team members.
Modify work roles and responsibilities or add volunteer or support staff as needed.
Consider offering school-based health and mental health services if available by community, university, or public/non-profit mental health agencies and identify funding to support these services.
Follow-up with student referrals made to community agencies.
Conduct debriefings with Crisis Recovery Team.
Assess if Crisis Recovery Team needs additional training, as needs arise.
Document “lessons learned” and incorporate them into revisions and trainings.
All information is general in nature and is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate professional advice. For more information please call 206-296-4600 (voice) or TTY Relay: 711. Mailing address: ATTN: Communications Team, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave., Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98104 or click here to email us.
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