Pandemic Flu Committee: Instructional Continuation Contingency Plan

Note: This committee has been meeting regularly for the past two years. We have been reviewing PCC policies, addressing issues related to continuity of PCC business in various scenarios (social isolation, catastrophic event, etc.), and gather Center for Disease and Control (CDC) information about the H1N1 virus as it becomes available. This is the most up-do-date information we have at this time. The H1N1 threat is only a potential; therefore, sick leave policies, social isolation policies, and physical closure of campuses will have to be addressed as the severity of the threat increases or expands.

The purpose of this exercise is to provoke thought and explore alternative strategies for continuing teaching and learning in a social isolated environment and to provide you with CDC guidance for responding to the H1N1 threat in this academic year.

Present Assumptions – College-age students are particularly vulnerable to this virus
  1. The most effective contingency planning will occur amongst the faculty.
  2. The onsets of Fall 2009, Winter 2010, and first half of Spring 2010 have the potential to bring a second wave of H1N1 infection associated with higher severity of illness.
  3. Incubation time could be 24-48 hours with length of illness lasting 7 to 10 days – it appears not to be airborne (with particles remaining suspended in air), but passed along via respiratory droplets.
  4. The impact of a pandemic will be asymmetric throughout the PCC district – there will be no way to predict who will be affected and how programs/departments/disciplines will be affected. Planning must be based on the loss of key instructional leaders among administrators, faculty and support staff during the pandemic.
  5. Complete closure of PCC beyond four weeks may result in the College not being able to meet normal financial obligations.
Assumptions in the setting of a pandemic
  1. The syllabus may no longer be considered a contract due to the exigencies created by the pandemic. Grading distribution and methods will need to be revised in a pandemic.
  2. Social distancing may be enforced by governmental entities and may not be controlled by PCC.
  3. Normal turn-around times for various communication tools (internet, snail mail, UPS/Fedex) will be prolonged.
  4. Closures may necessitate terms being compressed and extended into subsequent time slots of the annual academic calendar with the possibility of significant rates and durations of absenteeism. HR is investigating how that will impact the contractual obligations of the College.
Questions to consider
  1. What impacts would you anticipate with one, two, and three-week closures?
  2. How will those impacts differ depending on disruptions to fall, winter, spring, or summer terms?
  3. How will you communicate with students/colleagues? Phone trees, web, snail mail, smoke
  4. What present methodologies do you use to teach? Your contingency planning must be predicated on those methods you presently employ. There is insufficient time for every faculty member to convert classes to distance learning formats. There is also insufficient district-wide distance learning capacity to accommodate that volume of changes in class delivery.
  5. How can you adapt your predominant teaching methodologies to a compressed time format?
  6. Are there web-based tools that can be utilized to facilitate communication and sharing of documents/videoclips/podcasts with students? E.g. MyPCC Tools, social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace), Google Apps, Twitter, etc
  7. What alterations will you make in grading distribution?
  8. How might you restructure/evaluate assignments and their deadlines in the setting of communication slow-downs? How might you incorporate extra credit for students who have lost time due to illness or social isolation?
  9. How will you plan to find replacements for faculty or support staff who fall ill?

CDC Guidelines for Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 Academic Year

Facilitate self-isolation of students with flu-like illness:

Those with flu-like illness should stay away from classes and limit interactions with others (self-isolation – except to seek medical care), for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. Some people with influenza will not have fever; therefore, absence of fever does not mean absence of infection.

This flu is not airborne it is passed along via respiratory droplets – maintaining 3-6 feet or more distances from people could reduce exposure to this illness.

Instruct students with flu-like illness to promptly seek medical attention if they have a medical condition that puts them at increased risk of severe illness from flu, are concerned about their illness, or develop severe symptoms such as increased fever, shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, or rapid breathing.

Create “flu buddy” systems in which healthy students may get food, assignments, and medicine for ill students.

Create systems so staff members can check on students/staff in “self isolation.”

Increase “social distances” between students by moving desks further apart (6 feet most of the time).

Promote self-isolation at home by faculty and staff

Faculty and staff with flu-like illness should be asked to self-isolate at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

For students, consider altering policies on missed classes and examinations and late assignments so that students’ academic concerns do not prevent them from staying home when ill or prompt them to return to class or take examinations while still symptomatic and potentially infectious.

Distance learning or web-based learning may help students maintain self-isolation.

Considerations for high-risk students and staff:

People at high risk for flu complications who become ill with flu-like illness should speak with their health care provider as soon as possible. Early treatment with antiviral medications often can prevent hospitalizations and deaths.

Groups that are higher risk of complications from flu if they get sick include:

  • Children younger than age 5; people age 65 or older (they appear to be at a lower risk of H1N1 infection than younger people; however, if older adults do get sick from the flu, they exhibit increased risk of developing severe illness)
  • College age students
  • Children and adolescents (younger than age 18) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye’s Syndrome after flu virus infection
  • Pregnant women
  • Adults and children who have asthma, other chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, hepatic, hematological, neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders such as diabetes; and adults and children with immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV).

Vaccination may confer immunity to H1N1 flu. Vaccinations will not be available until mid- October/early November and then must be administered twice (initial + booster) — three to four weeks apart. This may prolong any outbreak early in this academic year. People under the age of 25 are a key group to be vaccinated.

Considerations for specific student populations:

Review policies for study abroad programs and international student programs – including accessing health services abroad, or students arriving from abroad with flu-like symptoms, and reporting any such illnesses to campus or district supervisors/leadership.

Communicate plans, policies, and strategies to partner K-12 schools regarding “early/middle college” students, prospective student tours, and other K-12 students regularly on campus.
Determine if special communication strategies are needed to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

Remind health-care profession students to follow infection control guidance for health-care workers.