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St. John the Baptist Parish school district Swine flu worries, rumors addressed

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  • St. John the Baptist Parish school district Swine flu worries, rumors addressed

    Swine flu worries, rumors addressed

    by St. John School Board
    by Sandra Barbier, The Times-Picayune
    Thursday September 03, 2009, 10:04 PM

    John McCusker / The Times-Picayune archive

    The St. John the Baptist Parish school district is looking at mounting hand sanitizers on walls in middle and high schools. Tulane law student Rachel Kagan was photographed cleaning her hands in between workouts at the Reily Center on campus last month.

    St. John the Baptist Parish school officials Thursday said they can't confirm whether there have been any cases of swine flu in the district's schools, but they are working to educate parents, students and employees about preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus and planning for a worst-case scenario.

    Elton Oubre, the school system's director of safe and drug free schools, said health officials are advising schools to treat all flu as swine flu.

    He said the district began preparing in April and already has taken steps to sanitize buses, schools and other school buildings.

    Schools Superintendent Courtney Millet said schools sent letters to students' homes this week telling parents about the measures enacted. They include sending students or staff members with flu-like symptoms to the school nurse, hand-washing and cleaning of door knobs, faucets and other frequently touched objects throughout the day.

    Oubre said the district ordered hand-sanitizer and Clorox wipes, but only half the wipes have arrived and the sanitizer has been held up at the Canadian border by customs.

    School Board member James "Jimmy Ray" Madere asked whether schools could do as some businesses are doing, and attach sanitizers to walls.

    Millet said Oubre and district purchasing director Peter Montz are studying installing the devices in middle and high schools. Oubre said some elementary students are sensitive to the chemicals in the cleanser.

    "A lot of times, what the elementary teachers will do is, they'll stand in that doorway, and on the way to lunch, they give you a little squirt" of sanitizer, she said.

    Oube said a committee of school nurses and athletics trainer Jeanne Leroy are working with him on a district flu plan that would deal with high absenteeism among students or staff in the event of an epidemic, as predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The plan is expected to be completed by the end of September.

    The plan will include the district plan for handling students who show flu symptoms but whose parents aren't keeping them home. Isolation classrooms could be implemented, Oubre said.

    Board member Russ Wise asked how officials handle cases when parents can't be reached. Contact numbers are sometimes bad.

    Oubre said a child with flu symptoms is sent to the school nurse and remains there until the nurse can contact parents.

    School Board President Gerald Keller said he received a call last week from a Parish Council member claiming there was a case of swine flu at a school, and district was covering it up. He said one LaPlace Elementary School parent was telling parents that was the case.

    "Do we have any cases?" Keller asked.

    "I'll tell you what I tell the parents, " Oubre said. "Without official confirmation, I cannot say yes and I cannot say no." Testing procedures have changed, he said. Individuals may get tested by a doctor, and if the result is confirms Type A flu, then it is treated as if it is swine flu.

    H1N1 is a strain of Type A flu.

    Oubre said officials primary focus now is on education. Information is being given out in newsletters, at Parent Teacher Organization meetings and brochures. The school system's Web site contains a link to the Center for Disease Control's information on schools and flu prevention.

    Millet said the attendance rate for the first two weeks of school was higher this year than it was for the same period last school year. The rate was 91 percent in 2008 and 95 percent in 2009, she said.

    Schools opened Aug. 7.


    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela
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