To Your Health!

What Can You Do To Help Keep From Getting Sick& Spreading Germs & Flu?

As a precaution and consistent with New York State’ s Health Emergency Preparedness Plan, the Yonkers Public Schools wants to provide students, parents/guardians and staff with information about H1N1 Swine Influenza (Flu) and the precautionary actions taken by the District.

As you may know, flu can easily spread from person to person and school-age children are among the groups most affected. We work closely with the Westchester County Department of Health and the State Department of Education to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take to keep schools open and functioning in a normal manner throughout the school year.

But, we need your help to do this.

Practical Advice for Parents

• Include tissues and hand sanitizers in children’s yearly school supplies.
• Teach children to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, and to throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If they don’t have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their upper sleeve, not their hands.
• Teach children to wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after they cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective, and remember to always follow the label directions.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to- person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If your children or you get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from school or work and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Please call your children’s school to let them know why they are absent.

Practical Advice for School Staff

• Observe children and if any display flu like symptoms, refer the child to the school nurse.
• Encourage children to cover their mouths when they cough and to regularly wash their hands or use hand sanitizers.

In addition, our school nurses received guidance and information about H1N1 from the district’s Health/Medical Department. The school nurses will use precautions such as isolation and/or facemasks only as a preventative measure for students who exhibit flu like symptoms prior to their being sent home. All schools will have wall-mounted hand sanitizing solution available in key areas, such as the library, main office and teachers’ room. The Maintenance and Food Services Departments uses disinfectants in their cleaning solution. School administrators have disseminated information to all staff to encourage communication and identification of potentially affected students or staff.

For further information, contact our Health/Medical Department at 914-376-8226, the Westchester County Department of Health at 914-813-5000.