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You are here: Divisions » Fiscal & Administrative Services-Dale M. Dennis » Child Nutrition & Wellness » H1N1 Information

        
   

H1N1 Information for Schools

 
Welcome to the H1N1 website sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education. The purpose of this website is to provide Kansas districts and schools information on the H1N1 virus that is especially relevant to schools. We are also providing links to other state and federal resources. Contact person for information on the H1N1 virus for Kansas State Department of Education is:

Mark Thompson
Project Director, Kansas Coordinated School Health
Phone: 785-296-1473
Email:
mathompson@ksde.org

H1N1 Logo - One Bad BugAs you know by now, a new type of influenza (flu), referred to as H1N1, is currently being seen in Kansas and throughout the United States as well as in 160 countries around the globe. In June 2009, the World Health Organization declared that a pandemic—a global epidemic—had begun.

So far, H1N1 has been shown to disproportionately affect school-aged children. With one-fifth of the U.S. population in schools (students and staff), the implementation of policies and procedures designed to limit the impact on this population is very important. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is collaborating with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to address measures specifically involving schools. To this end, we have recently launched the H1N1 webpage on the KSDE website to provide timely information to schools. This webpage also includes other links to H1N1 sites.

Limiting the spread of flu in schools during a pandemic requires a new perspective. We need to expect the unexpected. Parents, teachers and administrators alike need to work hard to keep schools open and be ready if schools must close suddenly. Students and staff have to give up the notion that absences are to be avoided at all costs. Perfect attendance should not be the goal. Above all, we must be adaptable to rapid change. Working together, we can slow the spread of pandemic flu in Kansas!
       

Controlling Spread of H1N1

 

Clean hands can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as flu. This podcast explains the proper way to wash your hands. Created: 5/1/2009 by Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Influenza Division (CCID/NCIRD/ID). Date Released: 5/1/2009. Series Name: CDC Featured Podcasts. More info on this topic>>
Windows Media File Clean Hands Help Prevent the Flu  posted 5/1/2009


Scientists estimate that people are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of all infections by their hands. From doorknobs to animals to food, harmful germs can live on almost everything. Handwashing may be your single most important act to help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy.

Put Your Hands Together. Flash Player 9 is required.


Read the Transcript >> PDF Document



Staying Healthy Every Day

A Sesame Street Video Series Covering:
  • Hand Washing
  • Covering your cough or sneeze
  • Staying Home when you are Sick

When both grown-ups and children practice simple everyday actions, it leads to staying healthy and keeping germs away, especially those that can lead to the flu. Young children may not understand exactly how germs spread, but they will understand that there are certain things that they can do to stay healthy, especially when they do them with the adults who care for them during their everyday routines!

Children Flu Guidance Featuring Elmo from Sesame Street:

       

School Specific Guidance

 

KSDE is collaborating with the Kansas Department of Health and Enviorment on preparations for the H1N1 influena. KSDE and KDHE are following CDC guidance on the issue.

Your state and local public health professionals, together with Kansas health care providers, have been preparing and training for the arrival of a new flu virus in our communities for years. Collectively with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the goal is to monitor the activity of this new infectious agent and take all the necessary steps to curtail its spread.
 

       

Sample Letters, Posters and Other Correspondence

 
PDF Document Sample Letter to Administrators posted 8/13/2009
PDF Document Sample Letter to Parents posted 8/13/2009
PDF Document Sample Letter to Parents (Spanish) posted 8/13/2009
PDF Document Poster - Color posted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Poster - Black and White posted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Bookmarks - Black and White posted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Bookmarks - Colorposted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Business Cards - Color posted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Business Cards - Black and White posted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Postcards - Colorposted 8/24/2009
PDF Document Postcards - Black and White posted 8/24/2009

       

H1N1 Presentations

 

Power Point Pandemic Flu Update posted 9/4/2009
       

Other Resources

 
United School Administrators of Kansas -
Offers the dates for a series of meetings that will include a session on H1N1
http://www.usakansas.org/content/19001800.php

H1N1 posters -
Use the following posters in your classrooms, hallways, and around the school to educate students, teachers, and staff about ways to prevent the spread of flu.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/toolkit/posters.htm

Recommendations for Schools on How Learning Continues in Case of Flu Outbreak -
CHHCS News Alert, August 25, 2009 - U.S. Department of Education Announces Recommendations on the Continuity of Learning in Case of Flu Outbreak.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/08/08242009.html
       

H1N1 Vaccine Information

 
Guidance for this topic will be updated as it is provided by the CDC. Please check back frequently for updates.
       
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