As you may know flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in Blacklick Valley. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during the flu season. But, we need your help to do this. We are working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Health to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning school. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

If the flu becomes more severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:

• Conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school.
• Making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class trips, and 
• Dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.

• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or a hand sanitizer. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
• Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food, or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their cough and sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.

For more information, you can visit www.flu.gov.