Hancock County Public Schools

Mike Antrican, Director of Schools

P.O. Box 629 Sneedville, Tennessee 37869

Phone (423) 733-2591 Fax (423) 733-8757

Dear Parents and Staff,

As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce potential for the spread of flu in the Hancock County Schools. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to do this.

We are working closely with the Hancock County Health Department and the School Based Health Clinics to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

If the flu becomes more severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:

· making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class trips and

· dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.

· Teach your children 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.

· Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.

· 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.

· Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using medications containing Tylenol or Motrin (fever reducing drugs).  Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected. Also, remember not to give children under the age of 18 aspirin.

· Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. If you determine that your child is sick, please keep them at home and call the School-Based Health Centers or your primary care provider for an appointment to have your child evaluated.

· Make plans for childcare in the event that your children become sick. For more information, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu.

Sincerely,

Mike Antrican