Chappaqua schools are “calm and prepared” for swine flu threat

September 18, 2009
by Susie Pender

“We are calm and prepared,” Elizabeth O’Toole, the chair of nursing for the Chappaqua schools, reported reassuringly of the nursing offices at all six of the Chappaqua school buildings. “We are prepared to track [illnesses] and we are prepared to know.”

The September 2009 Superblast from Superintendent David Fleishman on September 11 contained the common sense recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control that the district plans to follow this year regarding the H1N1 virus and regular seasonal flu. They are as follows:

  * Keep your child home when he/she is sick. Children with influenza-like illnesses need to remain home at least 24 hours after they are fever free, without the use of fever reducing medication.
  * Practice good frequent hand hygiene. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are also effective.
  * Cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hand!
  * Plan ahead for child care in the event your child becomes ill.
  * When your child is absent, call his/her school and give a reason. Please be specific as to their symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, etc.) This will help us to monitor the situation on a school-wide basis.

Historically, the nurse’s offices have not tracked student illnesses, but this year they will, counting on parents to communicate their children’s symptoms. “As long as the community realizes that we’re all in this together, and that prevention is the key. It’s really about staying home when you’re sick,” explained O’Toole, who is the nurse at Westorchard Elementary School.

Most important message: Stay home when you are sick

“I spoke to the staff, it’s important that they stay home when they are sick. They push themselves to come in; it comes from their dedication.” O’Toole commented. “I looked straight at a few of them who I know do that and said: ‘You need to stay home if you don’t feel well.’”

“We’re really talking about keeping down the number of sick children, we’re not talking about severity,” O’Toole emphasized. “The H1N1 virus has not been mutating as they expected it to. It’s a very, very mild flu.”

Students who end up in the nurse’s office with suspected flu symptoms will first be isolated and then have their temperature taken, according to O’Toole. A temperature reading of 100 or more will result in a call home for the child to be picked up. “If more than one child comes into the nurse’s office with flu-like symptoms, we will give them masks. We don’t have enough room to isolate more than one student at a time. I bought cute masks, so it will be fine.”

And Purell is everywhere in all of the school buildings. Elementary parents who do not want their children using Purell can contact their respective elementary schools and opt out of that hand sanitizing option.

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