Preparing for a pandemic
With fears about the H1N1 virus, commonly known as “swine flu,” putting school leaders on high alert, we’ve compiled this collection of news stories and additional resources to keep you up to date on the latest developments in this critical story—and to help you deal with the crisis in your own schools.
–The Editors
Feds issue more guidance on swine flu
Schools and colleges should be ready with hard-copy packets and online lessons to keep learning going even if swine flu sickens large numbers of students this year, U.S.…
WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun
The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic on June 11--the first global flu epidemic in 41 years--as infections climbed in…
Assistant principal is first NYC swine flu death
A school assistant principal who was sick for several days with swine flu on May 17 became the city's first death linked to the virus and the nation's…
Feds reverse course on flu-related school closings
Easing recommendations that have closed scores of schools nationwide, federal health authorities said May 5 that the new swine flu spreading across America is too mild to warrant…
Closing schools might not stop flu transmission
Students aren't the only ones staying home as swine flu spreads through schools across the country. Parents are nursing their ailing kids while trying not to get sick…
Advice for schools on swine flu
President Barack Obama on April 29 said schools should close temporarily if any students have confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu. He was reiterating guidance from the…
Obama warns of more school closings
As worries of a possible pandemic intensified April 29 amid reports of the first death in the United States from swine flu, President Obama said school leaders should…
Hundreds sick at NYC school hit by virus
The global swine flu outbreak worsened April 28 as authorities said hundreds of students at a New York school have fallen ill and federal officials confirmed the first…
Universities mobilize against pandemic threat
University-based research that helped authorities understand avian flu in 2006 could help mitigate the spread of swine flu in the United States, and higher-education officials are crediting the…
What you need to know about swine flu
A never-before-seen strain of swine flu has turned deadly in Mexico and is causing milder illness in the United States and elsewhere. While authorities say it's not time…
Swine flu shows need for science, Obama says
President Obama declared on April 27 that "science is more essential ... than ever before" for the nation's security, health, and economy. And the proof, he said, is…
Swine flu fears close schools in three states
Esti Lamonaca's illness started with a high fever, a cough, and achy bones, just a couple of days after she returned from a spring break trip on the…