Dear Parent/Guardian,

As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person.  Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in our school.  We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season.  But, we need your help to do this.

We are working closely with the Torrington Area Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools.  We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

Here is what you can do to help:

• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or if not available, an alcohol based hand rub.  You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
• Teach you children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues.  Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu.  Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius of greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache and feeling very tired.  Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or do not have signs of a fever, without using fever-reducing medications (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen). 
• Do not send children to school if they are sick.  Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
• Consider what arrangements you would need to make to assure that your child is safe at home when they are sick.  They should not be sent to another child care setting where they would be interacting with other people who are not sick.

For the most current information about the flu, visit the Connecticut Flu Watch website at www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch

Sincerely,

Betsey N. Levesque RN
School Nurse

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Action Steps for Parents to Protect Your Child and Family from the Flu this School Year

The Center for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 4 main ways you and your family may keep from getting sick with the flu at school and
at home.

• 
  Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.  Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• 
  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 elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
• 
  Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine, e.g. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen).  Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others.
• 
  Get your family vaccinated for seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu when vaccines are available.

If flu conditions become MORE severe, parents should consider the following steps:

• 
  Extend the time sick children stay home for at least 7 days, even if they feel better sooner.  People who are still sick after 7 days should continue to stay home until at least 24 hours after symptoms have completely gone away.
• 
  If a household member is sick, keep any school-aged siblings home for 5 days from the time the household member became sick.  Parents should monitor their health and the health of other school-aged children for fever and other symptoms of the flu.

Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the 2009 – 2010 school year:

• 
  Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
• 
  Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.
• 
  Identify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talk to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season.  Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include:  children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
• 
  Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members.
• 
  Update emergency contact lists.
• 
  Collect games, books, DVDs and other items to keep your family entertained if schools are dismissed or your child is sick and must stay home.

HEALTH OFFICE FORMS:


Allergy Action Plan

Asthma Action Plan

Medication Administration Authorization Form

Over the Counter Medication Form

Pupil Information/ Emergency Form

Requirements for Entry

School/Sports Physical Form