Dear Parents of Bay City ISD Students,
As you may know, flu can easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in the Bay City ISD. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to do this. We
are working closely with the Texas Education Agency and Matagorda
County Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions
about the best steps to take concerning schools. 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 field 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:
1. Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
2. 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 coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm, or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is not available.
3. Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms
of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher), cough,
sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling
very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
4. Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
5. Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
For more information, visit www.flu.gov or contact the Centers for Disease Control at 1-800-232-4636 for the most current information about the flu. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school district's strategy to prevent the spread of flu.
