"Lessons from 1918 flu pandemic for school closure planning" --from U Mich Health Service

[Connie Weber]

"Lessons from 1918 flu pandemic for school closure planning"

--An excellent article from a state-of-the-art health system

— "ANN ARBOR, Mich. During last spring’s influenza A/H1N1 pandemic, closing schools was a common and often contested strategy for curbing spread of the virus. This debate likely will persist if the flu pandemic continues or worsens in the United States this fall. Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a qualitative analysis of 43 U.S. cities and their public school systems during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic to uncover lessons applicable to today’s communities when dealing with the issue of school closure this fall.
In examining these large U.S. cities, the researchers found that school closure orders were almost always issued with community-wide measures known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as quarantine, isolation and public gathering bans. They found a connection between smooth implementation of all such measures – not just school closures – with clear lines of authority among municipal and government agencies, and transparent communication between health officials and the public."

Their findings are published by Health Affairs online today as a Web exclusive.
"Closing The Schools: Lessons From The 1918-19 U.S. Influenza Pande...

For more resources, University of Michigan School of Public Health: Flu

[Eemah Martha]

Thank you for this information. Although I no longer make such incredibly complex decisions, I still remember 911 and our own in school virus outbreak where I had to make on the spot decisions for students, parents, and staff. Leaders of Independent and charter schools ultimately have peerless considerations than principals who have superintendents to make the decision for them.

I will pass some of these resources on to those colleagues of mine who are still CEOs of charter schools. The multilayered issues surrounding swine flu may be bigger and more complex than we discern and school leaders do need to understand past epidemic impact. Thank you this insight.