BoardBuzz was pleased to see this op-ed from president of the New Jersey School Boards Association and member of the South Brunswick Board of Education, Harry J. Delgado, on the role parents need to play in preventing the spread of H1N1 in schools.
According to Delgado, the health and welfare of schoolchildren is the paramount concern of school officials who have been preparing for the onset of the H1N1 flu, and have been working with teachers, doctors, school nurses and health experts at the state, county, and local levels. For BoardBuzz, all of that is essential given that young people have been one of the groups worst hit by this virus.
But for Delgado, to combat this flu effectively, schools will need a key partner: parents. As a parent himself, he says that the flexibility and understanding of parents will play a crucial role during these difficult times. BoardBuzz agrees – parents are those who teach basic health concepts and they are the ones who can support and reinforce any health habits children acquire at school.
Some of the messages Delgado thinks parents can reinforce: wash your hands; cover your mouth when coughing; and limit social contact, and stay at home if you’re sick. BoardBuzz goes beyond these recommendations to say that it is also important to follow the new “on the sleeve” coughing and sneezing fad as seen in this video we posted awhile back.
Yes, folks, H1N1 is here and experts think that the cold weather might prompt it to spread easily and quickly. In combating this virus, all of us will have a role to play.
Do your schools need an easy-to-access resource on H1N1? Check out NSBA’s School Health Programs H1N1 webpage. It includes relevant resources, tools, and information that are essential for schools to: prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus and track its incidence; plan for and manage a flu outbreak; report school closings; better understand the role of schools serving as H1N1 vaccination sites; and stay abreast of the latest news and guidance related to the virus.
