The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) are working together to provide schools with the latest guidance and news regarding the H1N1 flu virus. The latest guidance from the U.S Department of Education (USDOE) is attached. Also attached are a news release issued August 26, 2009, by the Arkansas Department of Health and a frequently asked questions document to assist teachers. Please distribute or post appropriately.
While the impact of the H1N1 flu virus is impossible to predict at this point, the USDOE and Centers for Disease Control are NOT recommending school closure due to a case of H1N1 flue at this time. Instead, the guidance remains much as it did at the end of the 2008-2009 school year: send students and staff exhibiting flu-like symptoms home with the advice that they call a physician and encourage frequent hand washing as well as the use of tissues when coughing or sneezing.