Superintendent or designee

Identify Pandemic Planning Team to operate as a Superintendent Committee that  includes one or two School Board members, administrators, and staff members.

Superintendent and School Board

Identify, modify, and monitor relevant policies that a pandemic may possibly affect, including but not limited to:

1:20, District Organization, Operations, and Cooperative Agreements

2:20, Powers and Duties of the School Board; Indemnification

2:70, Vacancies on the School Board – Filling Vacancies

2:200, Types of School Board Meetings

2:220, School Board Meeting Procedure

3:70, Succession Authority

4:130, Free and Reduced-Price Food Services

4:180, Pandemic Preparedness; Management; and Recovery

5:35, Compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act

5:40, Communicable and Chronic Infectious Disease

5:180, Temporary Illness or Incapacity

5:185, Family and Medical Leave

5:200, Terms and Conditions of Employment and Dismissal

5:270, Employment At-Will, Compensation, and Assignment

5:300, Schedule and Employment Year

5:330, Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays and Leaves

6:20, School Year Calendar and Day

     6:60, Curriculum Content

     6:120, Education of Children with Disabilities

6:150, Home and Hospital Instruction

7:70, Attendance and Truancy

7:280, Communicable and Chronic Infectious Disease

8:100, Relations with Other Organizations and Agencies.

Superintendent or designee and Pandemic Planning Team

Begin review and use of the following publications:

For flu season:

School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist at: 

idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

For COVID-19

Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Card Programs at:

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communi....

Review and ensure a succession of authority plan exists in case Board members, administrators, and/or others are unable to fulfill duties during the pandemic.  Succession plans for Board members unable to fulfil duties during the pandemic may create a vacancy on the Board.  Discuss the issues of succession plans for elected officials with the Board Attorney. See Board policies 2:70, Vacancies on the School Board – Filling Vacancies, and 3:70, Succession of Authority.

Work with local health and emergency preparedness officials.  They may want to use the schools to disseminate information to families about a crisis.

Train employees about FLSA, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements necessary to work during a pandemic while the District is closed.

Open communications with employee unions regarding “wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment” during a pandemic.

Address policies for employee absenteeism, identifying critical job functions, plans for alternate coverage, and return-to-work policies as well as disease symptom recognition. 

Ensure resources for nurses and staff to receive training and personal protective equipment to identify flu or other pandemic disease symptoms.  For flu reporting, see 4:180-AP2, Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting.  Remember that a person who is infected does not show symptoms right away, but children becoming ill may show different behavior than usual, such as eating less or being irritable.  Knowing the differences between seasonal and pandemic flu is also critical to pandemic preparedness.  A fact sheet is available at:  cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/basics....

Train staff to protect themselves from occupational exposure to flu or other disease through workplace social distancing based upon the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA), Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic, which may be found at: osha.gov/pandemic-influenza.

Ensure that Standard Surveillance/disease recognition procedures are in place and implemented.  See 4:180-AP2, Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting.

For flu, encourage the use of simple non-medical ways to reduce the spread of flu by cough and sneeze etiquette and cleansing of hands and work areas. For COVID-19, see the Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs, When there is no community transmission (preparedness phase) section at:

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communi....

Decide to what extent the District will encourage or require students and staff to stay home when they are mildly ill.  Some parents/guardians may need to be more cautious in keeping their students out of school.

Identify students who have a greater risk of infection and are most vulnerable to serious illness.  Review their health needs and encourage those families to talk with their health care providers.

Assess nutritional assistance needs for students who receive free and reduced-price food programs. For more information about providing continuity of meal distribution for students eligible for reimbursable meals, see Q & A #5 at isbe.net/Documents/usda_qa072309.pdf and ISBE’s nutrition page specific to managing COVID-19 issues at: isbe.net/nutrition.

Through consultation with the Regional Office of Education or Intermediate Service Center and local authorities, develop strategies for remote learning through collaborative agreements (television or other local cable stations, teleconferencing, electronic instructional resources, etc.). 105 ILCS 5/10-30, added by P.A. 101-643 and see 6:20-AP, Remote and/or Blended Learning Day Plan(s).

Educate staff, students, and parents/guardians about the differences between the various types of flu, other viruses, and/or other diseases, best hygienic practices to prevent them and what could occur in a pandemic.  See Sample Parent Letter #1, Preparation and Planning, at: idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp.... 

Also see, Preparing for the Flu, at: cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/toolkit/pdf/s... and dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-....

Review Sections IV and V of School Guidance During an Influenza Pandemic at:idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/schoolguide.htm.

Actor

Action

Superintendent or designee

Depending upon the type of virus/disease:

For COVID-19, review the Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs at:

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communi....

For flu, consider issuing Sample Parent Letter # 2, First Bird Case at:

idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Begin Heightened Surveillance responses.  See 4:180-AP2, Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting.

Issue Sample Parent/Guardian Letter #3, Illinois/Regional Cases, informing parents/guardians that some students are sick but schools remain open, include tip sheets and information resource list.  A sample is at: idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Pandemic Planning Team

When a confirmed case has entered a school, regardless of community transmission, work with local health department regarding a press release announcing that schools will remain open, if applicable, and advising parents/guardians of their need to prepare.  

A sample, titled Schools Open, is at: idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Note: If this sample is used for COVID-19, amend it with those specifics.

Building Principal

Post flu or other virus/disease prevention signs on campuses.  See Section V of School Guidance During an Influenza Pandemic at: idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/schoolguide.htm.

For COVID-19, see Promoting Behaviors that Reduce Spread subhead in the CDC’s Considerations for Schools at:

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communi..., including a handwashing etiquette example at:

cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwash....  

Actor

Action

Local Health Department

Issue epidemic statement to general public.

Superintendent or designee

For flu, begin Intensive Surveillance responses.  See 4:180-AP2, Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting.

Local Health Department

Evaluate the need for school closure with local school officials.

Superintendent or designee

In consultation with local health department, emergency management agencies, and Regional Office of Education, close school(s).

Issue press release.  A sample, titled Schools Closed, is at:

idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Note: If this sample is used for COVID-19, amend it with those specifics.

Issue Sample Parent Letter #4, School Closure. A sample is at:

idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Note: If this sample is used for COVID-19, amend it with those specifics.

School Board and/or Superintendent

Cancel any non-academic events.

Actor

Action

Local Health Department

Evaluate the advisability of opening school(s) with school officials.

Superintendent or designee

Issue press release that schools are open.

Issue Sample Parent Letter #5, Schools Reopen. A sample is at: idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/school_guide/spp....

Note: If this sample is used for COVID-19, amend it with those specifics.

Pandemic Planning Team

Continue communicating with local health department.

Superintendent or designee

For flu, return to Heightened Surveillance response.  See 4:180-AP2, Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting.

Begin checklist again if an outbreak recurs.

Boone County Health Department

Regional Office of Education

Name

1204 Logan Ave

Name

300 Heart Blvd

Address

Belvidere, IL  61008

Address

Loves Park, IL  61111

815-544-2951

815-636-3060

Telephone

Telephone

Boone County Emergency Management Agency

Name

615 North Main Street

Name

Address

Belvidere, IL  61008

Address

815-547-1715

Telephone

Telephone