This letter was sent to all Burley High School parents by the principal Dr. Carloyn Hondo. We would like to thank her for sharing this valuable information with all of our readers at GoBurley.com.
H1N1 (Swine) Flu Plan
Each year colds and flu affect people in our community. BHS is committed to helping our students and staff members attend school regularly. We encourage parents to pay attention to these flu symptoms:
- Fever of 100 degrees
- Coughing
- Sore throat and/or body aches
- Possibly vomiting and/or diarrhea
We encourage you to keep your student at home if these symptoms occur. It is more beneficial to stay home if you are running a fever than to come to school and pass the flu to others. Encourage healthy habits – wash hands often, cover mouth with arm when sneezing or coughing, and keep others informed if you are not feeling well.
If you have questions or concerns about H1N1, go to www.flu.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
At school we will make sure infection control procedures are in place (hand sanitizers in all classrooms, disinfectant solutions/wipes for all desks or equipment, training for students in hand washing and coughing into their arms). Please make sure we have emergency contact numbers so that we can reach someone should your student become ill at school.
Each school has thermometers with which to check temperatures. Any student absent for three or more days will have his/her temperature taken when he/she returns. Students must be fever free without the use of fever reducing medications for 24 hours prior to returning to school.
RELATED ISSUES
We want to work with you in the event of a Swine Flu outbreak. Should your student miss several days, please do not hesitate to contact the school so that assignments can be given. You can also use PowerSchool to access the assignments your student needs to complete by clicking first on the student’s grade in the class, and then on the assignment (will be in blue). You should find a detailed description of the assignment. If you have no internet access or difficulties, please contact us. We will be glad to help.
When They Are Not Really Sick…
We sometimes get every excuse in the book for why students should be allowed to stay home. Here is a list of some common excuses teens use to get out of going to school – and ways to combat them:
- “I don’t feel good.” Unless s/he can describe the symptoms exactly, send him/her to school.
- “If I could just sleep longer.” Respond that skipping TV tonight could mean going to bed an hour or so earlier.
- “I have a project due that I haven’t started.” Let your student know that s/he needs to be more organized. S/he shouldn’t skip one class to finish an assignment in another.
- “I need to rest before the game.” School comes before extracurricular activities. No exception.
However, if your teen is constantly trying to stay home from school, it may be the sign of a larger problem. Speak to the school counselor or a teacher or administrator if you are worried.
See the student handbook for more information about student attendance and what is required with excessive absences and receiving high school credit.BSB
