As Cranford schools get ready to reopen in a week, district officials are starting now to prepare administrators and nurses for the upcoming flu season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new guidelines on how to deal with students who display symptoms of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as swine flu. Not much has changed, but the CDC is now recommending that schools only shut down in extreme circumstances.

The report cites incidents during last spring when the benefits of dismissing all students were often outweighed by negative consequences, including students being left home alone, health workers missing shifts when they must stay home with their children, students missing meals, and interruption of students’ education.

Late last school season, an H1N1 case was confirmed by health officials at Orange Avenue School in Cranford and classes were called off at schools across Union County.

“[The new CDC guidelines] are reasonable,” Superintendent Gayle Carrick told Patch on Tuesday. “It's the flu. We're taking every precaution here." 

The school district sent a letter out last week advising parents to take precautions when it comes to their childrens' health during the flu season, Carrick said. The letter asked parents to partner with school officials in teaching basic hygiene practices like hand washing. It also asked parents to keep their children home from school if they exhibit a fever, nausea, vomiting or other flu-like symptoms.

To read the CDC’s new guidelines, go here.