November 5, 2009
Milton’s Pandemic Response Team (PRT) continues to prepare our campus for a possible outbreak of the virus. Over the past several months, the team has developed preventive practices, plans in the case of outbreak, and contingency strategies for maintenance of service among all the departments or groups that support faculty, staff and students at Milton, including: Human Resources, Food Services, and Facilities. The Team has also implemented a plan for vaccinating boarding students. Among the preparations most relevant to K–8 parents, Milton has developed a protocol for interacting with parents reporting sick students. All attendance takers will use a flu-tracking spreadsheet daily, with designated attendance areas: Upper School, 6–8, 3–5, and K–2. Tabs include: date of absence, the student's name, class and a list of the symptoms each is experiencing. The nurses in the K–8 division will be working closely with the Upper School nurses to properly document all cases of the virus. The Health Center will keep the relevant administrators’ offices updated on any H1N1 cases and we will implement a daily check-in with the Health Center for any students coming in who have experienced H1N1 symptoms.
To restate the policy that we communicated at the start of School:
- If your child is diagnosed with the flu, or has flu-like symptoms (fever AND one or more of the following respiratory symptoms: cough, nasal congestion, or sore throat), he or she should not come to School until 24 hours after the fever has resolved, without fever-reducing medication. This is the current CDC guideline; it is subject to change over time.
- If your child has been ill with the flu or flu-like symptoms at home, he or she needs to report to the Health Center before beginning the school day.
This week our absentee rate is three to four children above our regular level, with students experiencing flu-like symptoms.
