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Health & Safety
H1N1 Influenza
September 30, 2009
The health and safety of students and staff is a top
priority at the California Montessori Project.
It’s important for our families and community to know that H1N1 and
other flu viruses are present throughout the area. Local health
officials are no longer testing for H1N1 unless a patient has a
preexisting condition or develops a serious problem from being ill.
Schools will not close unless a large number of students or staff
are ill and impact the school’s ability to operate.
The following are a few of the steps we need to take together, to
help prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza as well as other
viruses. With your help, these efforts can be highly effective at
combating the spread of illness within our community.
1. Those who are
ill should stay home for at least 24 hours:
Those who have been ill with flu-like symptoms including a fever of
100 degrees or more should not return to school until they have been
fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of any medicines to
reduce the fever.
2. Report when a
student is absent due to illness with flu-like symptoms:
CMP will monitor absence rates at each school to watch for sudden
increases in the number of students who are ill due to the flu. This
information will be very important in monitoring our community. When
clearing your student’s absence, you may be asked if he or she had
any flu symptoms.
3. Procedures to
follow if your student begins to feel sick at school:
If your student begins to not feel well at school, that student will
be sent to the office. If this student has any flu-like symptoms
including muscle aches, a fever, coughing, or a runny nose, he or
she may be provided with a surgical mask to wear while waiting to be
picked up in the office by the parent, guardian or emergency
contact. School staff may also wear masks when caring for students
who are ill with flu-like symptoms.
4. Practice good
everyday hygiene:
The simplest method for preventing the spread of H1N1 and other
viruses is proper hand washing. Using soap and water, hands should
be rubbed together and scrubbed for at least 20 seconds when being
washed. That’s about the length of time it takes to sing “Happy
Birthday” twice. A tissue should be used to cover the mouth and nose
when sneezing or coughing. Teach children to sneeze or cough into
their inner elbow or upper arm when a tissue is not available. Hand
sanitizers have also been made available in various locations
throughout the school, for voluntary student use and use.
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