RESPONDING TO EBOLA
Conference Call for School Districts
Hosted by Dallas ISD
October 17, 2014
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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 How will you ensure access to mental health services for students, staff, parents, and community members?
DALLAS ISD’S RESPONSE TO EBOLA
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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
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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
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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
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