Officials prepare for possible flu outbreak

GLENDALE — With the new school year starting in two weeks, and the flu season not far behind, the Glendale Unified School District is sticking to emergency plans made earlier this year in response to the H1N1 virus, officials said.

Public health agencies have warned that the virus, formerly called swine flu, is expected to become more prevalent this fall since it has continued to cause death and illness during the summer, which is generally flu free.

Already this year, local hospitals have reported at least eight confirmed cases of H1N1.

The health warnings have prompted some school districts to issue notices of their own. The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to send parents letters about the virus before the start of the school year in an effort to prevent an outbreak.

State Supt. Jack O’Connell — after a brief stop at Hoover High School this morning to highlight Glendale Unified’s student achievement — is scheduled to urge parents and students to take precautions against the flu at a news conference later in the day in Los Angeles.

Reports of a nastier H1N1 outbreak this fall hasn’t changed plans in place for Glendale Unified, said Mary Boger, president of the Board of Education.

“We already factored that in,” she said. “We had already been told that it was very likely to come back and be more virulent in the autumn months.”

Emergency plans were discussed with school district staff and principals in April and May, Boger said.

“The last we heard from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] was that we would not need to close schools, however, we will be prepared to do so if we have to,” she said.

If the district had to close one of its schools, Boger said it would notify parents to keep their children home.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and state education officials have changed procedures for closing schools for an outbreak, Supt. Michael Escalante said.

One or two confirmed H1N1 cases are not sufficient for a campus closure, but a significant number would, he added.

The district can notify parents of a school closure within two to three minutes with its ConnectEd phone system, Escalante said.

“Good communication through these most trying times of dealing with the flu will be absolutely critical,” he said.