EDUCATION
Amid forecasts of a wet winter and federal health advisories warning of a worse rash of the H1N1 influenza virus, the Glendale Unified School District has already purchased $12,000 worth of hand sanitizer in an effort to stop the spread of illness, administrators said.
And federal health agencies issued warnings earlier this month that children aged 5 to 18 were at a higher risk of death from contracting swine flu, prompting school districts to step up their sterilization efforts.
In addition to the $12,000 spent on hand sanitizer, Glendale Unified has pushed a renewed emphasis on hand washing while providing anti-bacterial wipes for computers and computer labs.
School districts are reimbursed on a formula rooted in attendance, which could be a problem because state officials predict one in four Californians could eventually be infected with the H1N1 virus.
La Cañada Unified School District officials have confirmed two students there as having contracted the virus.
The disease has spread worldwide, and in the U.S. it has taken advantage of summer camps, resulting in a widespread outbreak in most of the southeast U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Seniors and young children are most at risk.
Glendale Unified Health Coordinator Linda Burlison worked to acquire hand sanitizers from the district’s vendor for $24,000, but regional demand put the product on back-order until mid-October, district officials said.
He connected with a store manager who sold 2,000 8-ounce bottles, which are scheduled to arrive today, with an additional supply of 30-ounce bottles due Friday.
The California Department of Education prohibits alcohol on campus, which presented a potential challenge because the most effective sanitizers have a 60% alcohol content. State officials have since made an exemption.
The alcohol-based sanitizer will require teachers and staff to closely monitor its use among young children to ensure they don’t get any in their eyes or mouth, education officials said.
Federal grants worth $2.4 million will expand successful dual-language programs at Glendale Unified School District to more campuses, officials said Wednesday. The Foreign Language Academy of Glendale, known as FLAG, was awarded two grants by the U.S. Department of Education, a rare funding boost that administrators said would allow Spanish-language programming at Toll Middle School and Korean at another middle school campus by 2013.
