Post by title1parent on Oct 20, 2009 5:18:12 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1834289,naperville-flu-absence-notices-na101909.article
D203 to cut back on flu absence notices
October 20, 2009
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@scn1.com
Taking the advice of the DuPage County Health Department, Naperville School District 203 will no longer send out letters notifying parents of clusters of influenza-like illness absences.
"At this point, although the numbers are down, every school has been affected and every grade level has been affected," Ellen Wolff, District 203 supervisor of health services and registered nurse, told the school board Monday night.
In a Talk 203 message to parents Monday, the district said it continues to work with the health department to keep a record of absences. The health department will let the district know if its combined student and staff absence and/or sent-home rate with an influenza-like illness reaches 10 percent.
"Occasionally a school will have a spike up to 4 or 5 percent and then it will go back down," Wolff said.
Naper Elementary School had one day where absences were 6 percent, Wolff said, but the rest of the time it has been around 1 to 2 percent for students and staff.
"The bottom line is that the novel H1N1 virus is definitely present in this community. As a result, the DuPage County Health Department is recommending suspension of school letters notifying parents of clusters of ILI, instead urging families to recognize that fact and continue to follow good hygiene practices, as well as keep sick persons at home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicines)," the district said in its Talk 203 message.
"The truth is, it's in the community, and we need to act accordingly," district spokesperson Melea Smith said.
All schools continue to take necessary precautions, including cleaning high-touch areas, Smith said.
"We're continuing to follow exactly what the health department is telling us to do," Wolff said.
There are no plans to disseminate the H1N1 vaccine through District 203 schools.
"Right now we're waiting for information from the DuPage County Health Department," Smith said. "They're telling us the vaccine is coming and they will be holding clinics."
D203 to cut back on flu absence notices
October 20, 2009
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@scn1.com
Taking the advice of the DuPage County Health Department, Naperville School District 203 will no longer send out letters notifying parents of clusters of influenza-like illness absences.
"At this point, although the numbers are down, every school has been affected and every grade level has been affected," Ellen Wolff, District 203 supervisor of health services and registered nurse, told the school board Monday night.
In a Talk 203 message to parents Monday, the district said it continues to work with the health department to keep a record of absences. The health department will let the district know if its combined student and staff absence and/or sent-home rate with an influenza-like illness reaches 10 percent.
"Occasionally a school will have a spike up to 4 or 5 percent and then it will go back down," Wolff said.
Naper Elementary School had one day where absences were 6 percent, Wolff said, but the rest of the time it has been around 1 to 2 percent for students and staff.
"The bottom line is that the novel H1N1 virus is definitely present in this community. As a result, the DuPage County Health Department is recommending suspension of school letters notifying parents of clusters of ILI, instead urging families to recognize that fact and continue to follow good hygiene practices, as well as keep sick persons at home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicines)," the district said in its Talk 203 message.
"The truth is, it's in the community, and we need to act accordingly," district spokesperson Melea Smith said.
All schools continue to take necessary precautions, including cleaning high-touch areas, Smith said.
"We're continuing to follow exactly what the health department is telling us to do," Wolff said.
There are no plans to disseminate the H1N1 vaccine through District 203 schools.
"Right now we're waiting for information from the DuPage County Health Department," Smith said. "They're telling us the vaccine is coming and they will be holding clinics."