School Planning

Seasonal Flu

Each year an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized for flu-related complications. Promoting healthy choices—vaccination and other preventative measures—at school and at home can prevent seasonal flu from spreading.

• Seasonal Flu Information for Schools & Childcare Providers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))
• Information for Schools: Questions and Answers (CDC)
• Guidance for School Administrators to Help Reduce the Spread of Seasonal Influenza in K-12 Schools during the 2010-2011 School Year (CDC)
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Child Care and Early Childhood (PDF – 1.90 KB) (CDC)
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12) (PDF – 633 KB) (CDC)
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Institutions of Higher Education (PDF – 1.41 MB) (CDC)
• Influenza School-Located Vaccination: Information for Planners (CDC)
• School-Located Vaccination Planning Materials and Templates (CDC)
• How to Clean and Disinfect School to Help Slow the Spread of Flu (CDC)

Pandemic Flu

In a flu pandemic, schools play a key role in protecting students’ health and safety. As with any catastrophe, having a contingency plan is essential.

• Emergency Planning: Influenza Outbreak (U.S. Department of Education (ED))
• Pandemic Planning Examples of State and Local Plans and Planning Efforts (ED)
• Pandemic Flu: A Planning Guide for Educators (ED)
• Child Care and Preschool Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (PDF – 124.97 KB)
• School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (PDF – 123.95 KB)
• Colleges and Universities Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (PDF – 170.04 KB)
• Interim Pre-Pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States (PDF – 718 KB) (CDC)
• Plan Now to Be Ready for the Next Flu Pandemic (PDF – 213.55 KB)
• The Next Flu Pandemic: What to Expect (PDF – 226.83 KB)
• Legal Preparedness for School Closures in Response to Pandemic Influenza and Other Emergencies (Center for Law and the Public’s Health at Georgetown & Johns Hopkins Universities)
• Guidelines for Responding to the Death of a Student or School Staff (PDF – 1586KB) (National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)
• Interim Public Health Guidance for the Use of Facemasks and Respirators in Non-Occupational Community Settings during an Influenza Pandemic (PDF – 116 KB) (CDC)
• No Ordinary Flu  (Public Health – Seattle & King County Advanced Practice Center)

H5N1 (Bird) Flu

• Understanding Avian Influenza Lesson Plan  (PDF – 7.42 MB) (U.S. Department of Agriculture)