Responding to growing concerns about the recent swine flu outbreak, the Palo Alto Board of Education is taking measures to ensure the safety of students, superintendent Kevin Skelly told board members in a meeting on Tuesday, April 28.

Skelly said that the district is taking three different measures to protect students: keeping up with the latest news, maintaining clean facilities, and being prepared for an emergency.

Skelly said that he and the school board would make efforts to stay updated on the latest news concerning the outbreak.

“We are working hard to keep up with the issue,” Skelly said. “Obviously it [news regarding the outbreak] is changing by the day and by the hour.”

The board is also working to prevent the spread of the influenza within the school district by carefully monitoring students.

“While there are no cases in Santa Clara County,” Skelly said, “We are having the staff watch the kids closely.”

Skelly said that the board would work closely with the nursing staffs of schools to maintain a high level of communication and awareness within the district.

“We are working with the nursing staff to get information to get information to parents,” Skelly said.

The district is also focusing on preventing an outbreak by keeping students and schools sanitary, according to Skelly.

“We are considering hand wipes so that students can keep their hands clean,” Skelly said. “We are also making an effort to keep our campuses clean.”

In the event of a swine flu outbreak, the district would be prepared to shut down schools upon the recommendation of the Santa Clara County District Office, according to Skelly.

“We will take a lead following the Santa Clara Health Department,” Skelly said. “We would be ready take action if it is necessary.”

According to Skelly, the county is currently at a low risk of having to shut down schools.

“Right now, the county feels like a safe place to be,” Skelly said. “But we’re watching these issues so that we can be prepared.”

More information about how swine flu is affecting the Paly community can be found here.