A Letter from Headmaster Scott Nelson

Dear RCDS Parents:

As we begin the 2009-10 academic year, we continue to prepare for the upcoming flu season, which some health officials are predicting will be longer and more extensive than last year's. The upcoming flu season will include the normal seasonal flu, as well as a continuation of the novel H1N1 flu that appeared last spring. So far this H1N1 virus has continued to be milder than the seasonal flu.

Late this summer the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidelines for how schools should handle all influenza-like illnesses. As you read the guidelines below, please note that it is important for parents to work with the school to help manage this anticipated health situation.

  1. Parents should not send a child to school in the morning if the child exhibits any signs of illness. Common signs of the flu include sore throat, headache, fever, chills, nausea, and/or vomiting. Parents must keep any child home who has a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
  2. According to the CDC, any student with a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher must stay home until he or she is fever-free without the use of over-the-counter, fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.
  3. Any student who has a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher while at school must go home immediately.
  4. According to the CDC recommendations, a child with a fever at school who cannot be picked up immediately must be isolated from other students. If a child with a fever cannot go home immediately, he or she will wait to be picked up in the Lower School Multipurpose Room office, which will be supervised by a school nurse.
  5. One of the School's two nurses, Priscilla Funck or Nancy Gordon, will check daily with parents of any ill student in an effort to monitor and manage the student's return to school. If a student is absent from school with an illness, he or she must stop by the Nurse's Office before returning to class.
  6. At this time the CDC has advised that siblings of children who are sick may continue to attend school as long as they do not show symptoms of any illness. If the severity of the flu increases over time, this protocol might change.
  7. Parents are asked to notify the School if a child is diagnosed with the flu. Last spring the state of Connecticut tested many cases of Type A influenza to determine what type it was - seasonal or H1N1; however, this fall and winter we do not expect there will be much subtype testing to determine the specific type of flu.
  8. Parents are advised to consult with their physician for medical advice regarding the treatment of any influenza-like illness. Some people, including those with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women, may be more susceptible to complications from the flu.
  9. We have been advised by federal, state, and local health officials that they will be less likely to close schools because of cases of the flu this fall and winter. This is a change from last spring. The current goal is for schools to remain open and for children who are sick to stay home.
  10. Parents can help the school reinforce messages regarding regular, thorough handwashing and proper sneezing and coughing etiquette. Teachers, school nurses, and athletic trainers will also continue to reinforce these personal hygiene messages.
  11. We must remember that the first priority is that sick children get well and that we prevent the spread of illness. As part of our summer planning and opening faculty meetings, we have prepared for ways that teachers can assist students who miss school due to illness. Assignments can be sent home in a variety of ways and additional support will be available for students who miss school due to illness.

If you have any questions regarding these health guidelines or any related health matters, you should contact either of the school nurses, Priscilla Funck or Nancy Gordon, at 925-4552. Additional information regarding H1N1 influenza is available at the Web sites listed below. We will continue to monitor the CDC's guidelines and will keep you informed during the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Scott A. Nelson

Headmaster

Federal government information -
http://www.flu.gov/ or
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm

New York State information -
http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/influenza/h1n1/information_for_schools.htm

Westchester County Department of Health information - http://www.westchestergov.com/HEALTH/
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