Swine Flu Puts Schools Into Education Action

The swine flu outbreak raged on across Texas this week, but has not been confirmed anywhere in Van Zandt County as of Thursday.

It has, however, put local school districts on high alert and set in motion several preventative efforts.

"You’ve got something going around and we don’t really know what it is," Edgewood ISD Superintendent Jack Shellnut said.

"Doctors are not sure how to treat it, there are so many factors, and we don’t want it spreading," he added.

As of Thursday, there were 109 confirmed cases of the mysterious flu nationwide but 26 of those were in Texas. The first related death, a 23-month-old in a Houston hospital, was reported on Wednesday.

Shellnut said Wednesday that 29 schools statewide had closed indefinitely because of flu concerns.

That was the same day of a big announcement from Austin, where the University Interscholastic League announced it was suspending all athletic and academic competitions until May 11.

In addition, the UIL announced it was cancelling all regional track and field meets, instead taking the top four times or distances from among district meet results within each region and advancing those student-athletes to the state meet later this month.

"The health and safety of our student activity participants is of the utmost importance," said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt in a press release.

"Taking every possible precaution to prevent the further spreading of this disease is an important contribution to the welfare of our great state, and altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants safe," he added.

Health education is always part of the curriculum in local schools, but it has certainly grabbed the spotlight in the past week.

Administrators say their immediate task has been in communicating with teachers about preventative steps against the spread of germs. The teachers, in turn, have emphasized those measures to their students.

"At 7 a.m. Monday, I e-mailed our school nurse Kim Pettit and asked her to send something out to teachers, who did a great job communicating with the kids," Fruitvale ISD Superintendent Bill Boyd said.

"Much of it involves simple ways to prevent germs from spreading, things like frequently washing hands and covering your mouth (to sneeze or cough)," he continued.

The Fruitvale students have taken the measures to heart, Boyd said.

"I know this is working, There are elementary school kids who usually high-five me when we pass in the hallway, but this week they wouldn’t high-five me," the superintendent noted.

Grand Saline ISD Superintendent Mark Keahey elaborated on the preventative measures schools are taking.

"One is making sure we had the principals talking about washing hands frequently and sanitation throughout the school building," Keahey said. "We have also made sure each room is supplied with hand sanitizer."

He also said preventative measures have been communicated with school custodians.

"We wanted them to be a little more aware of spraying doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, and wiping down areas with disinfectant," Keahey said.

Similar to the UIL’s action, Grand Saline High School has postponed the start of a spring volleyball league it usually hosts each year.

Shellnut said his district’s campuses are implementing similar sanitizing methods.

"It is a scary thing," he said. "This flu seems to be a combination of several strains or types of flu. But it basically carries the same symptoms of any flu, and if you get it, you need to see a doctor."

Shellnut said letters, containing the information released this week by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), were sent home to parents.

On that subject, Boyd noted that while it is a serious matter to be heeded, there is a fine line between informing and creating a panic.

"Obviously, our number one priority is that we want our kids safe, but at the same time you don’t want such fear that everybody stays home and doesn’t take their TAKS test," he said, referring to Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills testing that was scheduled during the week.

"Our kids are very healthy, but there is a fine line to walk where you want to inform the public but not start a panic," Boyd added.

Keahey agreed and said the flu outbreak serves as a reminder of just how many surfaces and items come into contact with human hands every day.

"It is amazing when you consider the number of hands that touch our doors, desks, chairs and phones," he said.

So far, so good in this area, said Grand Saline ISD Nurse Sharlene Crim.

"Right now, we have no known cases of swine flu in the (Texas) northeast district," she said. "Good hand washing and sanitizing practices will keep it that way, hopefully."