Table 5 State Government Plans that Include Guidance to Local Education Agencies or Schools on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

Pandemic Influenza

AL Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Cancel all extra-curricular activities.

2) Limit or discontinue all meetings, gatherings, field trips, extracurricular activities, etc., until county health department lifts pandemic conditions.

3) Limit or discontinue travel within the school district.

4) Suspend all transportation and work at the bus shop.

5) Limit or discontinue access to vendors and visitors from outside the school district.

Infectious Disease

AK Department of Health and Social Services

Yes

No

No

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

AZ Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Incorporate flexible work hours and schedules while also utilizing employee spacing techniques to reduce crowding and close proximity (e.g., staggered shifts, telecommuting, teleconference meetings, separate office spaces).

Pandemic Influenza

AR Department of Health

Yes

Yes

No

1) Snow days: simultaneous closure of offices, schools, and other non-essential community activities for a specified period of time.

Pandemic Influenza

CA Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Alternate scheduling

2) Before- and after- school programs closures

Pandemic Influenza

CO Department of Public Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Clinical Procedure Guidelines for School Nurses

CT Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

General Emergency

DC Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Staggered school times

2) Canceling sports events and other mass gatherings

3) Spacing students’ desks three feet apart in small pods or clusters.

4) Discouraging prolonged congregation in hallways, lunch rooms, etc.

5) Staggering bus routes so there are fewer people on each route.

6) Limiting group activities and interaction between classes.

7) Canceling gym class, choir, or other school activities that place individuals in close proximity.

General Emergency

DE Department of Education

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

GA Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Students’ desks be spaced three (3) feet apart

2) Limit group activities and interaction between classes.

3) Cancel or modify gym class, choir or other school activities that place individuals in close proximity.

4) Gatherings of groups larger than normal class size should be cancelled and avoided (e.g. assemblies, recess).

5) Cancel all extra-curricular activities.

6) Prohibit congregation in hall ways and lunchrooms; if possible, serve box lunches in classrooms to avoid gathering of students in the cafeteria;

7) Stagger class changes to avoid large groups of students in the hallway

8) Stagger dismissal for the same reason;

9) Stagger bus routes to reduce the number of students on each bus.

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

ID Department of Health and Welfare

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

IL Department of Public Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Communicable Disease

IN Department of Health, Epidemiology Resource Center

Yes

No

No

None listed

General Emergency

IA Department of Public Health & Iowa Department of Education

No

No

No

None listed

NG*

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

LA Department of Health and Hospitals

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

NG*

Communicable Disease

MD Department of Education; MD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; MD State School Health Council

Yes

No

No

None listed

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

MI Department of Community Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Cancel extracurricular activities

2) Modify work practices/schedules

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

State of MS

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Communicable Disease

MO Department of Health and Senior Services

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

MT Office of Public Instruction

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

General Emergency

NE Department of Health and Human Services

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

NH Department of Education, School Health consultant

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

NJ Department of Health

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

NM Public Education Department and Department of Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

NY Department of Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Cancel any non-academic events (in the case of school closure)

Pandemic Influenza

NC Department of Health and Human Services

No

Yes

No

1) Reduced school activity calendar

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

OH Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Cancel non-academic events

General Emergency

OK Department of Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Cancel non-academic events

Pandemic Influenza

OR Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

PA Department of Health

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

NG*

NG*

NG*

Pandemic Influenza

TN Department of Education and Department of Health

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Rotating teachers between classrooms while keeping the same group of students in one classroom

2) Canceling classes that bring students together from multiple classrooms

3) Holding classes outdoors

4) Postponing class trips

5) Discouraging use of school buses and public transit

6) Dividing classes into smaller groups,

7) Moving desks farther apart, and

8) Moving classes to larger spaces to allow more space between students

Infectious Disease

TX Association of School Boards

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Non-essential travel for sports, other competitions, or field trips may be cancelled by a district superintendent or designee.

Pandemic Influenza

UT Department of Health and Utah Office of Education

Yes

Yes

No

1) Spacing students’ desks three (3) feet apart, in small pods or clusters.

2) Discourage prolonged congregation in hallways, lunchrooms, etc.

3) Staggered school times

4) Staggered bus routes, so fewer people are on each route

5) Limit group activities and interaction between classes

6) Cancelling gym classes, choir, or other activities that place individuals in close proximity.

Pandemic Influenza

VVVT Agency of Human Services

No

Yes

Yes

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

VA Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Move desks further apart

2) Maintain space between people when walking in the hallways,

3) other strategies to decrease large numbers of students intermingling such as suspending programs held in the school auditorium, canceling sporting events, and eating lunch in the cafeteria.

4) Rotate teachers instead of students

5) Suspension of activities, including sporting events, arts performances, and classes as determined by the school division superintendent in consultation with the local health department director and community emergency response team.

6) Gatherings of groups larger than normal class size may be limited or suspended during the school day (e.g. assemblies, recess).

7) Bus transportation for students, on and off campus, may be consolidated or suspended. In some instances, staggered bus routes should be considered to decrease the number of students on each bus.

8) Students’ desks be spaced three (3) feet apart.

9) Discourage prolonged congregation in hall ways and lunch rooms.

10) Stagger school schedules

11) Limit group activities and interaction between classes.

12) Cancel gym class, choir or other school activities that place individuals in close proximity

13) Modify school hours/days of operation (i.e., students with last names A-J come to school Monday and Wednesday, students with last names K-Z come to school on Tuesday and Thursday)

14) Stagger school hours (split days or weeks)

Infectious Disease

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Yes

Yes

No

None listed

Pandemic Influenza

WV Department of Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

1) Close non-essential agency functions;

2) Increase telecommuting, flex scheduling and other options;

3) Cancel all public assemblies or after school activities.

Pandemic Influenza

WI Department of Public Instruction

Yes

Yes

Yes

None listed

NG*