School district leaders planning for H1N1 pandemics should update emergency plans using a four-step process, according to the McGraw-Hill Education Urban Advisory Resource, a team of former educators and school administrators dedicated to serving the unique needs of large school districts.
"While most superintendents have a lot of experience creating and implementing emergency plans to deal with natural disaster, terrorism and school violence, dealing with a pandemic is outside the scope of anyone's experience," said Arthur Griffin, Jr., senior vice president of the Urban Advisory Resource and former chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., school board.
Dr. Stan Paz, vice president of the Urban Advisory Resource and former superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District, explains that the four-step process for pandemic preparation begins with education. District leaders have a responsibility to inform students and parents about the dangers of H1N1.
Working very closely with local health departments, administrators need to communicate all the information -- how H1N1 is transmitted, what can be done to protect a family, what the symptoms are -- in multiple ways and in every language appropriate for the district. Information can be placed in district newsletters, on district-owned television and radio, and on web sites.
Second, school leaders need to work with the health officials to begin prevention by re-educating students on ways to practice good hygiene: frequent hand washing, proper cough and sneeze behavior, and making it a habit to keep fingers away from faces.