According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, schools must be prepared to continue learning even if a large number of students fall ill with swine flu. Duncan released recommendations on how educators can ensure instruction continues in the event of high absenteeism or school closures caused by the virus. He expressed concern that the H1N1 virus may disrupt learning in schools across the country as the new school year begins.
Duncan emphasized that schools should assess the materials they have available for at-home learning. The latest guidance provides more specific methods that schools can employ, including distributing recorded classes through podcasts and DVDs, creating take-home packets with up to 12 weeks of printed classroom content, or conducting live classes via conference calls or webinars. Federal officials previously advised that schools should only close as a last resort. Additionally, they stated that students and teachers can return to school or work 24 hours after their fever subsides, which contrasts with the previous recommendation of staying home for a week. Last spring, over 700 schools temporarily closed due to the virus.
During his announcement, Duncan was accompanied by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, as well as representatives from various technology companies and publishers such as Apple, Microsoft, and Pearson. These companies are collaborating with the Education Department to offer print and online resources to schools heavily impacted by swine flu, with some potentially being provided for free. The specific details of these resources are still being finalized, but they may include technology to facilitate virtual communication between students and teachers, published instructional materials, and computer servers capable of handling the transfer of large amounts of teaching material.
Sebelius provided positive updates on clinical trials for the swine flu vaccine, stating that they are progressing well and it might be possible to administer the vaccine by mid-October. She also mentioned the intention to utilize schools as partners to ensure that priority populations, such as children, receive the vaccination.
