Due to the potential threat an influenza pandemic would pose to schools and the nation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a checklist to assist local educational agencies in developing and/or improving plans to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic.

The checklist includes sections on planning and coordination, continuity of student learning and core operations, infection control policies and procedures, and communications planning. The checklist allows LEAs to verify what has not yet been initiated and what is in progress in relation to planning for an influenza pandemic.

Tasks listed within the planning and coordination section include, but are not limited to identifying the authority responsible for declaring a public health emergency at the state and local levels and for officially activating the district's pandemic influenza response plan; participating in exercises of the community's pandemic plan; and incorporating into the pandemic influenza plan the requirements of students with special needs, those in special facilities as well as those who do not speak English as their first language.

Tasks for the continuity of students learning and core operations include developing alternative procedures to assure continuity of instruction (e.g., web-based distance instruction) in the event of district school closures. For infection control policies and procedures there are tasks such as establishing policies and procedures for students and staff sick leave absences unique to a pandemic influenza. And, among communication planning tasks are: developing a dissemination plan for communication with staff, students, and families, including lead spokespersons and links to other communication networks; as well as anticipating the potential fear and anxiety of staff, students, and families as a result of rumors and misinformation to plan communications accordingly.

The checklist was developed upon existing contingency plans recommended for school districts by the U.S. Department of Education in the document Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities. The guide is intended to give schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices. The guide covers four phases of crisis management: mitigation/prevention; preparedness; response; and recovery and stipulates that each community has its own history, culture, and way of doing business. Therefore, it is emphasized that crises plans need to be customized to communities, districts, and schools to meet the unique needs of local residents and students.

For additional information on the checklist, including general information on pandemic influenza and the bird flu, please visit the Pandemic Flu Web site, e-mail CDC at cdcinfo@cdc.gov or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636). Written correspondence may be sent to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

For additional information on and/or to order copies of Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities, contact:

ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education
P.O. Box 1398
Jessup, MD 20794-1398

Phone: 1 (877) 433-7827
Fax: (301) 470-1244
Email: edpubs@inet.edu.gov

(Source: National School Boards Association Web site, the Pandemic Flu Web site and “Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities.”)