News and Announcements
Swine Flu Information for Parents/Students
At Mater Dei High School we wish to be proactive for possible cases of Influenza A/ H1N1 Swine Flu. We would like to remind parents of the following recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to prevent the spread of illnesses, such as the flu. • Please keep students home if they are sick, especially those with a fever of 100 degrees or higher or exhibiting flu-like symptoms.
• Individuals with flu-like illness should remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F or greater), free of signs of a fever, and are no longer taking fever-reducing medications.
• Students who appear to have a flu-like illness upon arrival at school or who develop a fever during the day will be promptly separated from other students and faculty/staff and sent home.
• Parents of ill students at higher risk of complications from influenza are advised to seek early treatment.
• Students with excused absences due to illness will be given a reasonable amount of time to make up missed assignments and take missed quizzes and tests. (See page 14-15 of the 2009-2010 Parent/Student Handbook).
As a school community, we are all responsible for helping to prevent the spread of disease. These basic steps will help in the prevention of a schoolwide spread of influenza.
• Hand washing is one of the best preventions to decrease the chance of spreading disease. Students are encouraged to wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Encourage your student to cover his/her nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throwing the tissue in the trash after use.
We encourage parents to visit the following websites for more information and updates:
Orange County Department of Education
http://www.ocde.us/flu_update.asp
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/SwineInfluenza.aspx
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Mater Dei will continue to monitor health concerns to ensure a healthy environment for our students, faculty and staff. So, let’s all do our part to stay healthy.
