News & Press

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges schools to develop distance education programs to ensure continuity of education in case of pandemic influence.

The CDC is working with community public health departments and all schools across the U.S. to encourage schools to develop and to implement distance education learning strategies in case of an influenza pandemic or other catastrophic events that would prevent students from attending classes.

While we have not yet seen a recent pandemic or epidemic scenario in the U.S. that has disrupted student access to education, Hurricane Katrina and its impact upon schools in Louisiana is a stark example of what happens to normal life in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

The CDC recommends that:

2. Continuity of Student Learning and Operations:

"Develop and disseminate alternative procedures to assure continuity of instruction (e.g., web-based distance instruction, telephone trees, mailed lessons and assignments, instruction via local radio or television stations) in the event of college/university closures."

"In the event of an influenza pandemic, colleges and universities will play an integral role in protecting the health and safety of students, employees and their families. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed the following checklist as a framework to assist colleges and universities to develop and/or improve plans to prepare for and respond to an in influenza pandemic. Further information on pandemic in influenza can be found at www.pandemic.gov."  CDC, Colleges and Universities Pandemic Planning Checklist, March 20, 2006 Version 2.2

Ron Kuban, the author of a research paper on school disasters states, "After analyzing disasters and their possible consequences... concludes that school officials have the responsibility to gauge the hazards inherent in their school environment, plan the response to these hazards, and undertake the actions necessary to recover from these crisis situations. Ultimately, the nature of the response of school officials may influence whether lives are saved, mental and physical damage is minimized, or property is protected."  PREPARING SCHOOLS FOR DISASTER, by Ron Kuban