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Montgomery School District Takes Precaution Against Potential Danger of Swine Flu

By Staff | Aug 25, 2009

Montgomery School District’s Athletic building has been designated as the point of distribution sight for the North Central Task Force against swine flu in case of a pandemic. Daphne Ross, superintendent of Montgomery Area School District announced that she met with the Emergency Medical Services of Lycoming County last Monday to discuss the guidelines and process should an emergency occur. The school district will be a point of distribution for medications should the need arise.

As of now, the Center for Disease Control has encouraged the schools not to close according to Ross. “We have made provisions to the parents to keep their child at home for at least twenty four hours should they get a fever,” she said. A newsletter on action steps for parents was distributed to each child on the first day of school to take home. It offers four main ways to keep from getting sick with the flu at school and at home based on what the CDC recommends:

Practice good hygiene by washing hands often with soap and water, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, stay at home if your or your child is sick for at least 24 hours and get vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also parents are advised to extend their child’s sick time to seven days if conditions are more severe. And if another family member is ill, it is recommended that the child stay home from school for at least five days. Parents should monitor their school aged child for fever and other symptoms of the flu.

Other suggestions to help plan and monitor your child’s health while at home in case of the flu are also made in the newsletter such as updating your child’s emergency contacts and providing games, books and lessons in case he or she has to stay at home.

The newsletter is also posted on the school district’s website and copies are also available in the community said Ross. “It is important that we follow these guidelines and support of the CDC. We want to teach awareness to the community and work with the state department of health and the Department of Education,” she adds.

For more information on swine flu visit the school’s website at www.montasd.org or www.flu.gov.