May 16th email from principal Amaris Obregon to all parents:

Dear Parents,

I realize that many of you are concerned about the recent confirmation of a H1N1 infection in our school. Please know that I share your concern and will do everything in my power to keep Amana Academy a safe, healthy and successful school for your children.

Several parents have voiced uneasiness about letting their children return to school on Monday, even with assurances that the school is being fully sanitized. Our janitorial company has extensive experience working in environments, such as hospitals and other medical facilities, where disinfection is regularly performed. They use specialized chemicals to destroy the virus so that it doesn’t linger on any surface for our students and staff members to touch. I witnessed the disinfection in progress and feel confident this will help limit spread of the illness.

Even with one week left in the school year, it’s still very important that your child maintain regular attendance. There are many special activities taking place that your child will be disappointed to miss. We also are undergoing our final assessments and showcases for the school year which will be important in determining your child’s academic progress. And lastly, as you may be aware, part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act is “Adequate Yearly Progress,” which is a measure of how well a school is reaching its academic goals. Overall student attendance is part of this measure and if our attendance decreases dramatically it will negatively affect our AYP status. This could cancel out all the hard work and successes we’ve already achieved this year. And, failure to meet our academic goals could ultimately jeopardize our charter status.

I do not wish to downplay the seriousness of the H1N1 illness. If your child is exhibiting symptoms consistent with a flu-like virus (fever with a cough or sore throat), then it is in his or her best interest, as well as our entire school’s best interest, to stay at home. However, please don’t let any apprehension about the cleanliness or safety of our school influence your decision to keep a healthy student at home. I am fully committed to making Amana Academy a safe place for students to learn.

Sincerely,

Amaris Obregon
Principal

May 15, 2009

Dear Parents:

This morning we were notified by the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness that there was a case of H1N1 virus (commonly called the ‘swine flu’) infection among a kindergarten student in our school. The child was in school part of this week, but medical professionals have confirmed that she is cleared to return to school on Monday and will no longer be considered contagious.

At this time, neither the Centers of Disease Control nor the Fulton County Health Department recommends closing our school. However, as a precaution, we will be sanitizing our entire facility over the weekend.

In addition, we are sharing the following information about what to do if you suspect your child or another family member is ill or exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

• Students, faculty or staff with influenza-like illness (fever with a cough or sore throat) should stay home and not attend school or child care programs, or go into the community – except to seek medical care – for at least seven days even if symptoms resolve sooner.
• Students, faculty and staff who are still sick seven days after they become ill should continue to stay home from school and child care programs until at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved.
• Parents and guardians should monitor their school-aged children, and faculty and staff should self-monitor every morning for symptoms of influenza-like illness.

As it has been stated before in other communications, prevention is our best intervention when combating the spread of any illness, whether it is the common cold or the flu. There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy, such as:

• Washing hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners/hand sanitizers are also effective.
• Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Avoiding close contact with sick people.
• Keeping sick children (and staff members) at home until their illness has run its course.

We are confident that the sanitation precautions being taken this weekend will help limit the spread of any illness. Unless otherwise advised, we expect to finish our school year as planned.

Sincerely,

Amaris Obregon
Principal