As flu season begins, Lake Washington School District and its schools are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu, whether the regular flu or the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu. We want to keep our students and families healthy and our schools open and functioning normally during this flu season. But we need your help to do this.
Our school district is working closely with Public Health Seattle King County and the Washington Department of Health to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. Those steps will be communicated by your school as they happen and will be reported on this Web site.
Here are some of the things that we are doing at school that you also can do to help:
- Remind your student to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
- Remind your student to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues and wash their hands afterwards. They should cover up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
- Remind your student not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils.
- Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
Here’s what to do if your student does become sick with flu symptoms:
- Do not send your student to school if they are sick. Any students who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. Students who exhibit flu symptoms at school will go to the health room so they can be kept separate from other students until a parent can pick them up.
- Keep sick students at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping students with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
Please update your contact and emergency contact numbers at your child's school and plan to pick up a sick child within the hour. Parents are advised to arrange for childcare now in case your child becomes ill and is unable to attend school.
Additional information/sources of information:
Public Health Seattle & King County:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu.aspx
Washington State Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/h1n1/
Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU
Quick Flu Tips for Parents and Caregivers, a 1-page sheet with tips on how to avoid getting the flu, how long to stay home when sick, and explicit details about when and when NOT to see your doctor, ask for a lab test, or request antiviral medication.
Home with Flu, a 2-page comic-strip with tips about planning for back-up childcare, recognizing flu symptoms, and knowing when to contact a health care provider.
Frequently Asked Questions - Translated Versions