Bulldog News

Hillside announces H1N1 policy

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Hillside School Headmaster David Z. Beecher has issued the following statement on Hillside School’s H1N1 flu policy:

As Hillside begins a new school year, it is important to emphasize the importance of taking necessary precautions in preventing the spread of the H1N1 flu (aka “swine flu”) and to understand how Hillside School is preparing for the upcoming flu season.

While every flu season is characterized by increased illness and doctors' visits, a new strain of the H1N1 flu may lead to a more severe 2009-2010 flu season.

As such, we encourage all members of the Hillside student body and employee team to heed the following precautions:


• Be vaccinated for the seasonal flu as soon as the vaccine is available through your doctor.

• Also, a vaccine specific to the new H1N1 strain is in production and should be available this fall. It is important to note that this novel vaccine is to be used in addition to the seasonal flu vaccine, not as a replacement.


Children between the ages of 8 and 18 are among groups with the highest risk of H1N1 infection, since they are in close contact with each other in school and extracurricular settings, increasing the probability of spreading disease.

Currently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) does not recommend school closure as a measure for controlling the spread of H1N1, as most cases of the illness in the U.S. are comparable in severity to the seasonal flu.

School closure will only occur if the number of student and/or faculty absences impedes upon the school’s ability to function safely (the CDC has established a recommendation that a school closing only occur if more than 15% of the school community population is infected).

Since the flu can easily spread from person to person, Hillside is taking steps to reduce the spread of the flu at our School. With the help of the entire Hillside School community, our goal is to keep our School open and functioning in a normal manor during this flu season.

The following are important everyday measures that members of the Hillside School community can take to protect themselves from the spread of H1N1:


• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your arm when you cough or sneeze

• Wash hands regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based cleanser containing at least 60% alcohol

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth

• Avoid close contact with people exhibiting flu-like symptoms

• Disinfect door handles, furniture and bathrooms on a regular basis

• Carefully dispose of tissues etc.

• Do not share drinking cups etc.

• Eat well

• Get significant rest


The following is a brief summary of ‘what ifs’:

• If a student exhibits influenza-like symptoms (including fever, nausea, body aches, runny/stuffy nose — which, with this strain of flu, may last for 5-7 days), the CDC recommends that they remain home from school, extracurricular activities, and social events, for at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees Farenheit or 37.7 degrees Celsius) without the use of fever reducing medications.

o If a student is a day student, parents are asked to please NOT send him to school within the scope of these conditions.

o If a boarding student gets sick, Hillside plans to have him return home as soon as possible. If this is unable to happen, he will remain in the Lebovitz Health Center, isolated from other students as much as possible, until it is deemed safe for him to return to normal activity.

• It is appropriate to treat fever symptoms with medications containing ibuprofen and acetaminophen; however, aspirin should not be administered to children with flu-like symptoms since it may cause Reye’s syndrome.

• In the unlikely event the school is closed, please rest assured we will work with parents to get your child to a safe place.

For more comprehensive information about the CDC’s recommendations and facts about H1N1, you can visit the website listed below:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

One blessing in this situation is that we have a beautiful, efficient, new health center to handle our students’ illnesses.

We also have a medical team of nurses, counselors, and consulting doctors to deliver the care each of our boys may need in the event of illness.

Thank you for your attention to these precautionary measures and guidelines, and please know that we are monitoring this situation closely in concert with local, state and national health authorities.

For answers to other questions or concerns, parents and others are invited to contact Art Goodearl, Associate Headmaster and Dean for Parents, either by email at: agoodearl@hillsideschool.net or by phone: 508-485-2824 or myself at: dbeecher@hillsideschool.net or by phone: 508-485-2824.