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'In the red': Flu problem at Junction City Elementary results in new health awareness system

August 21, 2009|By SUSIE LAUN

JUNCTION CITY — The current health of Junction City Elementary students has provoked a new red, yellow and green light system to be put into place to relay the severity of the flu virus and how it has spread.

Currently, the school is listed as red.

Although, it wasn't just the flu that caused the closing of Junction City Elementary School for the week, said Pam Tamme, psychologist for Boyle County schools.

Children also were infected with chicken pox and other illnesses, according to Tamme's report given Thursday at the Board of Education's meeting.

She also presented the rough draft of a plan to help schools prepare to act in the event of further outbreaks of flu and other illnesses. The plan is based on green, yellow and red lights — green representing when all schools are considered "healthy."

Junction City is considered red because the school is closed. Superintendent Mike LaFavers decided to close the elementary school Tuesday for the remainder of the week after there were significant absences by Monday afternoon, he said.

All other schools are yellow — which is used to flag a precaution because another school in the area is red or because an increase in flu cases are reported.

The plan is mainly for flu outbreaks, Tamme said, but it could be used as a guide for other illnesses as well.

The plan takes the district through the appropriate actions in each stage to keep students, staff and teachers healthy, and how to respond if a situation escalates.

LaFavers said aside from Junction City, attendance was strong at the other four schools, with about 94 to 95 percent of students at school.

The flu has not spread to other schools in the district.

In other business, Mike Pittman, director of operations, said enrollment was up a bit from last year. At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, 2,611 students were enrolled. Pittman said Boyle County ended last year with 2,620 students.

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, 2,665 students are enrolled.

Pittman said more kindergartners enrolled this year at Woodlawn Elementary School — a total of 81 — affected the increase. Officials, he said, expected an enrollment totaling 66.

The board also approved the real and personal property tax rate for the 2009-2010 school year at 49.7 cents per $100 assessment.

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