Responding to Ebola

1. Responding to Ebola Conference Call for School Districts Hosted by Dallas ISD October 17, 2014

2. Responding to Ebola Conference Call Norms • Please mute your phone (press *6 to mute/unmute) • Please hold questions until the end of the presentation • If possible, please have one designated speaker asking questions from your district

3. Responding to Ebola Purpose: • Share information about Ebola with North Texas ISDs • Give an overview of Dallas ISD’s response to Ebola • Answer questions about responding to Ebola • Provide resources to help ISDs communicate about Ebola with their students, staff, parents, and communities

4. Responding to Ebola Agenda • Ebola: Symptomology and Transmission • Ebola in North Texas • Dallas ISD’s Response to Ebola • Implications for Schools of Suspected and Confirmed Ebola Cases • Resources regarding Ebola

5. Ebola: Symptomology and Transmission • Symptoms* of Ebola infection include: • Fever (100.4°F or greater CDC Update 10/15/2014) • Severe headache • Muscle pain • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Stomach pain • Unexplained bleeding or bruising The Ebola virus is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of individuals showing symptoms. A person carrying the Ebola virus cannot spread the virus if they are not showing symptoms. • *Symptoms appear 2-21 days after exposure, usually 8-12 days • Exposed individuals do not have virus if they show no symptoms for 21 days after exposure

6. Ebola in North Texas Sept 26- Thomas Eric Duncan seeks treatment at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital (THPH); sent home with antibiotics Sept 28- Duncan transported to THPH by ambulance Sept 30- CDC confirms Duncan tested positive for Ebola Oct 1- Dallas ISD receives confirmed list of 5 students with direct exposure to Duncan. Students directed to stay home for 21-day observation period Oct 8- Duncan passes Oct 10- Nina Pham, a nurse who cared for Duncan, goes to THPH with an elevated temperature Oct 12- Pham tests positive for Ebola Oct 14- Amber Vinson, a 2nd nurse who cared for Duncan, goes to THPH with elevated temperature + Had flown to Cleveland on 10th and returned to Dallas on the 13th Oct 15- Vinson tests positive for Ebola; is transported to Emory University Oct 16- Pham transported to NIH-Bethesda

7. Implications for Schools of Suspected and Confirmed Ebola Cases • Do you have an established emergency operations team to respond to an Ebola-related situation? • How will you communicate with your local health department and other government agencies? • How will ensure clear lines of communication between your district and the local health department and CDC regarding updates to protocols? • Do school nurses have the right training, know who to call, and have the necessary supplies? • Are you prepared to quickly provide communications to staff and parents in all appropriate languages via all available channels? • How will you coordinate with your transportation department/provider to determine which vehicles were used to transport students identified as possibly having exposure and clean the vehicles if necessary? • What will your protocols be for cleaning facilities visited by individuals identified as possibly having exposure? • Do you know how you would contract with a company to remove contaminated material? • Will students/staff absences by those who choose to stay at home be considered excused or unexcused? • How will you staff schools if there is a higher than normal staff absence rate? • How will you continue to provide educational services to any students who have been directed by health officials to stay home for a multi-day (up to 21 day) period? • How will you prepare campus staff and students for the return of students who had been directed by health officials to stay home? • How will you ensure access to mental health services for students, staff, parents, and community members?

8. Dallas ISD’s Response to Ebola

9. Resources regarding Ebola www.dallasisd.org/healthupdates • Blog updates from Dallas ISD (Spanish & English) • FAQs about Ebola (Spanish & English) • FAQs about Ebola in Schools (Spanish & English) • Resources for talking to children about Ebola • Parent letters in English, Spanish, Chin, Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Vietnamese, Nepali, & Swahili • Links to Centers for Disease Control and Dallas County Health and Human Services Ebola Sites

10. Resources regarding Ebola thehub.dallasisd.org • District’s online News and Information page • Featured stories on Ebola (link back to Health Updates page) • Video news reports from campuses • Other Resources Provided • B-roll from within schools provided to media • Facebook and Twitter (@dallasschools) messages

11. Resources regarding Ebola Questions • Dallas ISD Contact Information • Bill Avera, Asst. Police Chief/Emergency Operations Manager • bavera@dallasisd.org 972-749-2437 • Jon Dahlander- Executive Director of News and Information • jdahland@dallasisd.org 972-925-3908 • Justin Coppedge- Deputy Chief of Staff • jcoppedge@dallasisd.org 214-991-1656 • Sherry Christian- Executive Director of Student Support Services • schristi@dallasisd.org 214-729-1635 • Suzanne Kubelka- Director of Health Services • rkubelka@dallasisd.org 972-925-3386 • Willie Burroughs- Executive Director of Maintenance and Facility Services • wburroughs@dallasisd.org 214-729-5704