Messages from
Dr. Verducci's office 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Superintendent of Schools David Verducci at verduccid@glenrocknj.org or call 201-445-7700,

ext. 8950

APRIL 20, 2010

ENVISIONING THE FUTURE 

Dr. Verducci presented his long-term strategic plan "for actualizing the full potential of the Glen Rock Public Schools" at the December 14 Board of Ed meeting.  See his presentation. 

 NEW! The public portion of BOE meetings  now begins at 7:30 p.m.  

November 21, 2009

September 19, 2009

UPDATE:  NO DECISION YET ON MASS INOCULATION OF CHILDREN AGAINST H1N1

Please be advised of the following information as it relates to the distribution of flu vaccine to staff, students, and community members.

With regard to the mass inoculation of children against the H1N1 virus, you are advised that as of yesterday, NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE by County and State Health Officials as to the distribution of any vaccines either to children, school employees, or community members. It is expected that these health officers will not release their coordinated plan of action until after September 23, 2009 at the earliest. Schools are being discussed as the likely venue for vaccine distribution, but the present thinking is that

a)      the inoculation of children will be voluntary;

b)      any program of vaccinating the young would likely be done on a Saturday as a parent or guardian would be required to be present and to sign appropriate release forms; and

c)       that school personnel (i.e., school nurses) would NOT be required to administer the shots due to the personal and professional liability issues surrounding such participation.

It thus appears that the question of exactly who would administer the vaccine is still a very open question. Further, final decisions have not been made as to a plan for the logistics of distribution as the tens of thousands of individual vaccine doses would have to be delivered, refrigerated, and stored at ‘drop sites’ that are yet to be determined.

This in formation was given to all Bergen County Superintendents of Schools at their regular monthly meeting on Friday, September 18, 2009, by the Executive County Superintendent of Schools and therefore may be considered to official. It was also confirmed by a colleague who last week attended a regional Board of Health meeting held to discuss this topic. It is also consistent with the information distributed to Chief School Administrators throughout the state at the Educators’ Pandemic Influenza Summit held on August 23, 2009.

All of this is however, based on the larger assumption that sufficient doses of the new H 1N1 vaccine will be available and deemed safe for distribution within the general population.

It was with this question in mind that Middle School nurse Stephanie Nerney spoke to our school physician, Dr. Fenkart, about the availability of both H1N1 and regular flu vaccines. Dr. Fenkart anticipated having a sufficient supply on hand as would most physicians, particularly pediatricians, and that most people would likely go to their regular health providers for inoculation. He also stated that he would stay in touch regarding any new developments.

You may also have heard a story that is currently circulating that Wyckoff already has plans in place to vacci nate every child. This is NOT the case. As some districts choose to do each year, the Wyckoff district is making available REGULAR flu shots (NOT the h1N1 vaccine) to its faculty and support staff only for a fee of $25 per per son. No plans have been made for any other distribution of any vaccine in line with the information described earlier in this message. This was confirmed by the receipt of the actual email distributed to Wyckoff employees by their superintendent of schools. I am asking principals to forward this email message to their school nurses as my request that they speak to local health officials to explore the viability, and staff interest, in such a voluntary program of employee flu shots (i.e., regular flu vaccine).

Finally, please be assured that we are, and have been, on top of this situation and will continue to keep everyone informed about new information as it comes through. We will utilize the most appropriate information delivery vehicles systems amongst those available to us (e.g., letters home, Honeywell Emergency Notification, district website, etc.) to ensure timely notification about the latest develop ments to all faculty, staff, parents, and community members. In the interim, please continue to refer to our website for the our most up-to-date information and health-related web links.

Thank you very much.

David C. Verducci

Glen Rock Board of Ed launches e-newsletter

The Community Relations committee of the Glen Rock Board of Education has begun a new communications plan to reach out to all community members. The goal of the program is to share timely, relevant information with anyone interested in staying informed about news and views from the board. The first initiative is an e-newsletter, to be published five times each year.

The fall issue of "Rock Talk" is available here. Become a subscriber! Receive "Rock Talk" via e-mail: Visit the district Web site and sign up. For more information, contact Communications committee chair Randi Blumberg at ranjb87@gmail.com.

 NEW  2009-2010 Board of Ed Meeting Schedule

Attendance rotation for Byrd HSA liaisons

Guidance for School and Childcare Settings
At this time, New Jersey recommends that schools and childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene and monitor attendees for acute febrile respiratory illness.

Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) should all be taught and asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of infections such as influenza: 

§         Cover your coughs and sneezes.

§         Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

§         Wash hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing.

§         Stay home if you’re sick, especially with a fever.

School or childcare participants with acute febrile respiratory illness, regardless of travel history, should be sent home according to facilities-established procedures with instructions to stay at home until 24-48 hours after their symptoms resolve. 

Instructions should be given to seek medical care with worsening of symptoms.  At this time, exclusion is not recommended for school or childcare participants who have recently traveled to an affected area and who do not have symptoms. 

Disease Reporting and Consultation

To report suspected cases of swine influenza or outbreaks of influenza-like illness, please contact the local health department in the jurisdiction in which the school is located. 

We are interested in testing individuals presenting with influenza-like illness (fever, cough, sore throat), mild respiratory illness (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea) with or without fever, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia, headache, chills, fatigue, dyspnea and conjunctivitis.  Has had at least one potential exposure within 10 days of symptom onset as listed below:

   A.)    History of travel to an area where swine influenza H1N1 documented in animals
         and/or humans (see http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm ); OR

   B.)    Close contact (within 6 feet) to an ill patient who was confirmed or suspected to have
         swine influenza; OR

   C.)    Close contact (within 6 feet) to an ill patient who has traveled to one of the areas above;
          OR

   D.)    Recent exposure to pigs; OR

   E.)    Works with live influenza virus in a laboratory.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

    U.S. CDC Swine Influenza Web site:  www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/       

    Infection control and treatment: www.cdc.gov/

BOARD OF EDUCATION VOTE