Reagan Everett has heard of the novel H1N1 influenza. She knows about the panic the strangely resilient strain caused last March when it made its first appearance in Utah. Closed schools, hospitalized people, deaths — the 12-year-old is acquainted with those, too.
But even though the preteen spent three days in the hospital with a bad flu, she rolls her eyes when she talks about it.
"I'm not really worried about swine flu," said the sixth-grader, as she carefully penned an account of her trip to the hospital during class at Heartland Elementary Wednesday. "I don't think I'm going to get it 'cause I wash my hands."
Not unlike Reagan, most schools are keeping things simple as they prepare for another round with the H1N1 virus: Wash hands. Stay home when sick. Use a tissue.
"We've always dealt with communicable diseases in school," said Stacy Drew, a nurse for Canyons School District. "This isn't a new problem."
If anything, Drew said, things will be a little more relaxed than last spring, when more than 18 Utah schools shut down to prevent the virus from spreading.
This flu season, schools won't be closing — at least not as readily. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised school administrators to do everything, including checking children for fevers daily and increasing the space between desks, before closing their doors.
"The potential benefits of pre-emptively dismissing students from school are often outweighed by negative consequences, including students being left home alone … and interruption of students' education," wrote the CDC in a special report to administrators.
Even so, schools have done a lot of things to ensure — as best they can — that students will stay free of H1N1.
Alpine School District has new cleaning regulations. Jordan School District has an H1N1 hotline. And Canyons School District is outfitting all its offices with thermometers.
Basics such as hand washing and coughing etiquette top most districts' defense plans.
"Healthy kids are well kids," Drew said. "Parents can keep their kids safe by doing the things they need to do anyway."
At most schools, teachers were instructed to tackle cleanliness and health the first week of school.
"Why do we take showers and wash our hands?" Heartland Elementary teacher Megan Rose, 23, asked her sixth-grade class Wednesday.
Hands shot up. Fingers wiggled.
"So we don't stink," offered one child.
"So we don't spread germs," said another.
"So we don't get the flu!" yelled an exuberant student in the back corner.
Rose nodded her head. But later, as the children lined up to practice the six steps of hand washing, children were walking away from the faucet wiping still-dripping hands on their pants.
That, said Lisa Robinson, who oversees the nurses in Jordan School District, is not exactly "effective hand-washing." But unfortunately, nurses can't look over students' shoulders — especially with only one nurse serving eight to 10 schools.
"Students and parents need to do their job to prevent the spread of disease," Robinson said. "This isn't just a school problem."
In fact, she said, the easiest way to keep H1N1 out of schools is under parents' control.
"Don't send sick kids to school," she said. "Period."
e-mail: estuart@desnews.com