Overview Of Pandemic Influenza (Flu)
Influenza, or the flu, attacks the respiratory tract with sudden onset symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat, congestion, and body aches. Seasonal flu mainly affects the elderly, causing limited economic impact. Pandemics arise when new viruses, lacking population immunity, emerge; the 1918 Spanish flu caused 20 million deaths. Avian or swine flu strains mixing with human strains can lead to human-transmissible pandemic flu, countered through vaccination and infection control measures like distancing and quarantine, as antivirals might not be immediately available.
Pandemic Influenza Plan
We assist the community in attaining its educational goals. As part of this process, we are committed to providing information for the health and welfare of the educational community. Our Emergency Planning Team stays current on all relevant information and research involving potential pandemic occurrences. We will use current information to educate our parents, students, and staff regarding preparation and prevention.
If a pandemic occurs, the district will refer to the District's Pandemic Influenza Operations Plan for guidance, take direction from the County Health Official, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, California Department of Public Health and/or the Center for Disease Control and respond to a declared emergency as outlined in our Emergency Operations Plan.
COVID-19 Guidance Update
Students and staff should consider wearing a mask and testing for COVID-19 when experiencing respiratory symptoms. If testing positive please follow the guidance below.
Students who are symptomatic and test positive should stay home when symptoms appear. They may return to school when they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and other non-fever symptoms are mild and improving.
If they test positive and are asymptomatic, they may continue to attend school. All students who test positive should wear a mask indoors through day 10 (day zero is date of symptom onset or date of positive test collection).
Staff who are symptomatic and test positive should stay home when symptoms appear. They may return to school when they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and other non-fever symptoms are mild and improving.
If they test positive and are asymptomatic, they may continue to attend work. All staff who test positive are required to wear a mask indoors through day 10 (day zero is date of symptom onset or date of positive test collection) per CAL/OSHA.
Individuals who test positive should avoid contact with individuals who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 for 10 days.
COVID-19 Decision Table for K-12 Schools
The San Diego County Office of Education has released a new COVID-19 Decision Table for K-12 Schools that highlights recommendations and requirements for K-12 schools and childcare settings that reflect the 2024-2025 Public Health Guidance for TKâ12 Schools and Child Care Settings to Support Safe In-Person Services and Mitigate the Spread of Communicable Diseases, and the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations. School districts, charter schools, and private schools have authority to exceed these recommendations and requirements. The decision table can be found in the document container below under the COVID-19 Resources folder.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding COVID-19 guidelines please reach out to Risk Management at 619-787-5185.