Information for Schools, Students, Parents and Families

The Public Health Department is currently working with Santa Cruz County schools to prepare for seasonal flu and pandemic H1N1 or swine flu. If your child is healthy, do not keep him or her out of school. School is the best place for healthy children. Children who are sick should stay home until 24 hours after flu symptoms have stopped. 

For more information on how schools are preparing for H1N1 or swine flu, please visit:

• The Santa Cruz County Office of Education

  • County Office of Education H1N1 Information

• Ready California Schools

Prevention & Education

• Protect Yourself and Your Family from the Flu: English Spanish

• "Whack" the Flu! English Spanish

• How to Tell Influenza from the Common Cold

• Stay at Home Toolkit for Influenza

• Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home

• Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School

Resources for Students, Parents, and Family Members

• Advice for Parents on Talking to Children About Novel H1N1 Flu - CDC

• Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and Feeding your Baby: What Parents Should Know- CDC

• Action Steps for Parents of Children at High Risk for Flu Complications - CDC

• Resources for Pregnant Women - CDC

Additional Resources for Schools

• Interim CDC Guidance for Colleges, Universities, and Post-secondary Educational Institutions in Response to Human Infections with H1N1 

• H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Infections Alert for Institutions of Higher Education

• CDPH: Guidance for Schools, Dec. 7

• CDPH Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza Health Alert Update for Schools and Local Health Departments (PDF) 

• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)

• Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-10 School Year CDC - 12/30/09 

• CDPH Interim Guidance for Public Gatherings: Policies to Mitigate Spread of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infections (PDF)