May 6, 2009

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has amended, once again, its guidance to elementary and secondary schools regarding their response to H1N1. In light of the updated guidance, we will follow the directives from the CDC.

What does this mean for our schools? The decision to close a school and/or cancel activities will be made locally using the criteria provided by the CDC, namely that the operational mission of the school can not be fulfilled due to the large number of students or faculty members who are absent.

In the previous directive from this Office, we required the physician to complete our form indicating that the student did not have H1N1 before the child was allowed back to school. We will not longer require a student who is absent to return the doctor’s form before being allowed to return to school, except in the event that the student’s absence was the result of a confirmed diagnosis of H1N1.

Following the lead of the experts at the CDC, I believe the above listed amendment to the previous directive is appropriate and will continue to safeguard the health and well-being of the entire school community.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we attempt to address this issue in a calm and responsible manner.