Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back! With continued media attention about seasonal, H1N1 (swine) flu, and vaccines, this is to alert you of how we plan to keep you informed of changes as they may occur.
 
In general, because H1N1 has continued to circulate all through the summer, we anticipate a possible surge in influenza-like-illness to start earlier than usual when children return to classrooms. It is our hope that illnesses will be nothing worse than we experienced last spring. Therefore, unless otherwise directed by the County Public Health Department, we will not notify parents of individual cases that occur in schools. Assume it is present and please remind your children to use excellent hand hygiene, good respiratory etiquette, dispose used tissues promptly, and not to share personal or food items.
 
Should the virus pattern change and become a more severe problem, we will advise you if we need to take more stringent control measures. For now, if your child has an influenza-like-illness with fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle or body aches, tiredness, or vomiting and diarrhea, please do not send your child to school. Call your physician's office to discuss whether your child needs to be seen. Keep your child home and away from other people until all symptoms are completely gone without the need to take fever-reducing medicines for a full 24 hours. If your child is sick enough in the morning to require a fever reducing medicine, please do not send your child to school.
 
This is a good time to schedule a seasonal flu vaccine and discuss with your physician whether your child should get H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. Please check our district's website at www.hflcsd.org frequently, as we will post updates on H1N1 there. Check your younger children's backpacks for news and updates that may be sent home, as well.

Attached you will find a brief informational brochure.  Let's all have a healthy and safe school year.

Sincerely,
 
Philip W. Burrows
Deputy Superintendent and
Director of Pupil Personnel Services