Danville Area School District in Danville, Pennsylvania's Preparation for Swine Flu

The Danville Area School District's plan, in a letter from the Superintendent dated August 25, 2009, for schools in the district of Danville, PA 17821, is to prepare for and respond to a swine flu (H1N1) pandemic by, "taking additional steps to prevent the spread such as: conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school, possibly postponing class trips, and dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick."

Pandemic H1N1 Flu FAQ for the Danville, PA school district can be found here. Included in the FAQs is the question: My child was sick. When can they come back to school? "Your child should remain at home for at least 7 days after the onset of illness. If they are still ill after 7 days, they should remain at home until symptoms have resolved for at least 24 hours. Returning to school too early, while they are possibly still infectious, places other non-ill children at risk."

*Important: In the event you need to keep your child home for 7 or more days, I recommend parents take their child to their doctor and get an absence from school note for the school so you do not get in trouble with the magistrate for keeping your child out of school.

Also included in FAQ is the question, Should I be vaccinated. "As of a letter dated August 25, 2009 from the PA Department of Health, the follow are the target groups for receiving the H1N1 Vaccine: Pregnant women, Household contacts of children under 6 months, Persons 6 months to 24 years, Adults under 65 years with medical conditions, Healthcare workers and EMS personnel. Please ask your health care provider or see www.cdc.gov/h1n1/flu or www.flu.gov for more information."

Danville Area Schools website offers a link to help manage anxiety about Pandemic H1N1.

Mark DiRocco, Superintendent of Schools in Lewisburg, PA (not far from Danville), says he will close schools if an outbreak occurs in his district. I have not heard a similar stament from Danville's Superintendent, Susan Bickford. On a side note, Mark was a great principal at the school I attended - Sullivan County High School (1988-1994).