At Keller ISD, creating and maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for your student is one of our top priorities.
(Updated 01/29/10)
The school district will offer a free community H1N1 Vaccine Clinic from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17 in the Keller High School Cafeteria.
The clinic will offer the vaccine for all ages and will be administered by the Tarrant County Department of Public Helath. Children under the age of 10 will require two doses.
The nasal and injectable form of the vaccine will be available, as will the preservative free form for those pregnant or nursing.
Keller High School is located at 601 N. Pate-Orr Rd., Keller, 76248.
Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) began offering the H1N1 vaccine to all Tarrant County residents.
Since early October, TCPH has followed the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offering the vaccine only to specific target groups. The federal agency's recommendations were applicable while the vaccine was in limited availability, said Tarrant Country Health Authority Dr. Sandra Parker. However, TCPH has determined that the vaccine is now widely available in both the public and private sectors.
"We have seen a decrease in demand from the target groups overall," said Dr. Parker. "Additionally, it seems that the log-jam limiting the flow of the vaccine to Tarrant County has been broken." TCPH received more than 19,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine November 20, and an additional 11,000 doses arrive Monday. The Texas Department of State Health Services is expected to send even more next week, said Parker.
The seven health clinics will not be the only access Tarrant Country residents will have to the vaccine. On Thursday, TCPH will open five of six store front clinics dedicated specifically to dispense the vaccine. A sixth store front will open later this month. A fourth mass vaccination event is being planned for next week in the Northwest quadrant of the county.
Dr. Parker urged the public to get vaccinated before beginning any holiday travel. Some areas around the country are more severely affected by the H1N1 virus than Tarrant Country, she noted.
These five new store fronts, combined with the seven public health centers, means that Tarrant Country residents can by to any of 12 convenient and easily accessible locations to receive a free H1N1 vaccine. A map of all 12 locations is available on the Tarrant County Public Health Web site at http://health.tarrantcountry.com.
Click here for a list and map of the health centers and store fronts offering the H1N1 vaccine.
While the health centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the store fronts will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about H1N1 vaccinations, call 2-1-1.
We realize concerns remain about the presence of the H1N1 Influenza virus, especially in environments such as school campuses. At KISD, we are receiving confirmation of positive cases of Influenza Type A on most of our campuses. Though Influenza Type A may not be H1N1, most of the recently reported cases are assumed to be so.
Please note the following information regarding influenza:
- The flu is spread through respiratory droplets produced when someone sneezes or coughs as well as contact with a surface or object contaminated with the virus and then touching the nose or mouth.
- Typical symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, chills and fatigue and typically last 4 to 7 days.
Children and adults with certain health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, and pregnancy are more likely to get complications from the flu. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss medication options to prevent illness or lessen the severity of symptoms. Medication against the virus is most effective if given within two days of feeling ill.
Please seek emergency care if you or your child experiences any of the following symptoms:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish or gray skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and a worse cough
Ways to prevent the spread of the flu:
- Get vaccinated against seasonal and the 2009 H1N1 flu
- Wash hands often especially after covering a cough or sneeze
- Cover your cough or sneeze with the sleeve of your shirt or a tissue
- If your child becomes ill, please keep him/her out of child care at least 24 hours until he/she no longer has a fever without fever reducing medication
Keller ISD is continuing to take steps to reduce the spread of any illness, but at the same time, we need your continued assistance. It is important that you closely monitor your child’s health and vital that you keep him/her home from school should they exhibit any flu-like symptoms.
Keller ISD currently is recommending the following procedures:
- Students and staff with a temperature of 100 degrees or greater are asked to stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever – or signs of a fever – without the use of fever-reducing medication. These individuals should stay home even if they are using antiviral medications.
- Students and staff with ill household members should stay home for five days from the day the first household member got sick. This is the time they are most likely to become sick themselves.
The district will continue to take the following actions:
- Hand sanitizer will be provided in every KISD classroom.
- Masks are being distributed to be used as needed during the critical care of students with flu-like symptoms.
- Students with a temperature of 100 degrees or greater will be sent home. Please be prepared to pick up your child immediately should he/she come down with flu-like symptoms while at school.
- Encouraging the following prevention measures: frequent hand-washing, covering nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or if a tissue is not available, coughing/sneezing into your shirt sleeve or elbow.
- Cleaning crews will continue to give special attention to all touch surfaces at campuses and on buses.
We appreciate your continued support and assistance, and would ask for your help in the following ways:
- Do not send your child to school if he/she is sick. Absences due to flu illness are recognized and will be considered as such by campus attendance committees should violations of the 90 percent rule occur.
- Plan for childcare at home if your child gets sick or in the event that school is dismissed.
- Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children by checking for fever and other symptoms of the flu.
- Update your emergency contact information at the school.
- Identify a separate room in the house for care of sick family members.
Keller ISD is implementing new practices regarding water bottles, drinking devices and cup usage for athletic practices and games:
Cups for games
- KISD athletic trainers, student athletic trainers, managers, parent volunteers and coaches will ensure that cups are not shared between athletes and are used properly at all times.
“Water Boy” drinking stations
- These devices will be manned by a training staff member, parent volunteer, teacher volunteer, student manager, student athletic trainer or coaching staff member to ensure proper use.
- Water spigots will be cleaned throughout the games and practices with disinfectant.
- “Water Boy” units will continue to be cleaned and disinfected at the end of each practice and game to ensure proper cleaning and storage.
Water bottles
- Handled only by staff, athletic trainers, student trainers, and parent/teacher volunteers.
- Students are not to use water bottles by themselves at any time.
- As long as KISD is in level Yellow or level Red in its Widespread H1N1/Flu Response, all individuals will wear gloves while dispensing water from the water bottles to the student athletes
- Cleaning of water bottles
- Water bottles will be cleaned by hand or by a dishwasher after each practice or game.
- An approved disinfectant will be used to ensure the proper cleaning during the wash.
Keller ISD will continue to utilize parent and staff notification tools to communicate any major developments or changes to our campuses’ prevention strategies. These outlets include www.KellerISD.net, campus Web sites, local media, Twitter and E-News. If you are not subscribed to the district’s weekly E-News bulletin, you can do so by clicking the link at the bottom of KellerISD.net.
For additional information and any updates, click on “H1N1 Flu Info” under Hot Topics on the front page of KellerISD.net. You can also visit the KISD Health Services Web page, www.flu.gov, www.cdc.gov, or www.Texasflu.org which allows you to monitor H1N1 activity in your community. You can also consult your personal physician if you have any further questions.
Additional Resources