How has the current wave of seasonal flu plus H1N1 affected educational instutions where you live?
I teach at a public middle school in Virginia-- in very rural Virginia, actually. I wasn't assuming that we would get hit very hard with swine flu cases. I knew that we were not immune, and I figured that we would have a few cases.
I definitely underestimated the impact-- one-third of my students have been out sick for the past week and a half.
So much for pacing guides and benchmarks and...
Well-- you get the idea-- we are basically doing a lot of make-up work and re-teaching in my class and in classes all over the bulding.
Most of the students out sick have been diagnosed with H1N1, and of course we now have teachers out with the same. Add in the usual strep and stomach bug, and our attendance is way down. It's not been end-of-the-world terrible, but the systems we have in place to deal with absences and make-up work sure are strained. We also have parents calling for the schools to close to "let the germs die out," while others are sending their obviously VERY sick children to school.
So, I am curious-- how is this impacting education where you are?
What systems do you have in place in your schools and colleges to deal with this sort of thing?
Are you currently dealing with large numbers of H1N1 cases in students and faculty?
Has your institution participated in seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccine programs? How has that been?