Freehold township schools

Freehold Township Elementary School District
Dear Parents/Guardians: As we begin the new school year, the strain of influenza (flu) virus, H1N1, continues to be of concern for our community. The district continues to work closely with the Freehold Township Health Department to monitor influenza conditions in order to make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available. Currently, schools are strongly urged to remain open. If students or staff exhibit influenza-like illness, they should remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F) or signs of a fever (chills, very warm, flushed appearance, or sweating) without the use of fever-reducing medications. If your child has:
Fever (100 F or 37.8 C) AND either sore
Keep your child home from school and child care
until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (once
they have stopped taking fever-reducing medicine).
Medicines that contain acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin) can reduce fever and relieve pain. As the sick person begins to feel better, you may decide to stop giving them fever- Your child may have the flu. Contact reducing medicines. Continue to monitor their temperature until it has been normal (98.7 F or 37 C) for 24 hours before returning to school. If your child has other symptoms:
Keep your child home from school and child care until fever and non-fever symptoms are gone for 24 hours. If fever is present, follow guidance in box above.
The health and safety of our school community is a priority and we will continue to monitor for
influenza-like illness in our schools. If your child comes to school ill, or if your child develops
symptoms once in school, he/she will be sent home. Please make sure to designate one local resident
as an emergency contact so if a parent/guardian is not available, an adult living locally can promptly
pick up an ill child. Any child with influenza like illness will be separated from others and, if
necessary, may be given a mask to wear until the child is picked up by a parent or guardian. An ill
child will not be sent home on the school bus. We know that keeping a child home can be disruptive
to work and activity schedules, so please plan now to assure that your child is safe at home and has
care when he/she is sick.
384 West Main Street, Freehold, New Jersey 07728 Listed below are some additional ways you can protect your family and help the school community from becoming ill: • Remind children to practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands often with soap and water especially after coughing or sneezing. If hand washing facilities are not available, an
alcohol based hand sanitizer is effective against H1N1. You may provide your child with a
personal sized (less than 4 ounces) hand sanitizer to be kept with his/her belongings for
his/her use in school. Hand sanitizers should NOT take the place of hand washing and you
should educate your child on their proper use according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Typically, a dime sized spot should be rubbed thoroughly over the entire surface of the hands.
They should not be used for children who put their hands in their mouths nor on open cuts.
They also do not protect against allergens or dirt, hand washing remains the only protection.
• Remind children to practice respiratory etiquette by covering their mouths and nose when they cough or sneeze. If they do not have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their elbows or shoulders. They should avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths since germs are spread that way. • Talk with your health care provider about whether your child should be vaccinated for the seasonal flu. Our health department is having a seasonal influenza immunization clinic for adults and children on October 19th at the Paul McGuire Health Center. You may call (732) 294-2060 for additional information. Also, if your child is at higher risk for complications from the H1N1 flu, you should consider getting him/her the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. • When your child is absent, please include details of your child’s illness (i.e. cough, fever etc.) in your voice message. The attendance voice mail is available 24 hours a day and helps us monitor the incidence of influenza like illness. As always, we will keep you informed as new information becomes available since guidance may change depending on the severity and amount of flu cases that develop. Additional influenza information is posted via links on the district website hom. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter and for helping us to keep our schools as healthy as possible for all students and staff. 384 West Main Street, Freehold, New Jersey 07728

Source: http://freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_189755/File/Resources/Health/h1n1/H1N1909.pdf