Precautionary Measures to Cope With Influenza A (H1N1) When School Reopens

Schools will re-open on Monday, 29 June 2009, as scheduled. To slow down the spread of the H1N1 virus in the school community and in Singapore when school re-opens, MOE will issue a 7-day Leave of Absence (LOA) to all school staff and students returning from affected countries , on and after 22 June 2009, to stay away from school. There will also be stepped up precautionary measures and public education efforts in schools.

Implementation of Leave of Absence (LOA)
Schools will communicate with all parents via multiple channels to obtain the updated travel history of their children, inform them of the implementation of LOA, and update them on any new advisories given out by MOH. The multiple channels include phone calls, emails, postal letters and notices on school websites.

Schools will remind all school staff and students to exercise social responsibility to declare their travel history if they have been to affected countries and to stay at home for 7 days before returning to schools.

Continuity in Learning for Students on LOA
For students who are issued LOA, schools will provide Home-Based Learning (HBL) lessons to them, based on what the rest of their classmates are learning in school. Schools will deliver the materials for HBL and monitor the students’ progress through various channels, such as mail, telephone, hand delivery, email and the school’s learning management system. Schools will also keep parents informed of the learning activities and accompanying study schedule. This will allow parents to play a complementary role by helping to monitor their children’s progress in following the lessons prepared by the teachers. When these students return to school, teachers may also conduct make-up lessons to ensure they catch up with their classmates.