Pasco County Schools Pandemic Plan 

A pandemic occurs when a new virus that is different from seasonal viruses emerges
and spreads quickly between people, causing illness worldwide. This plan addresses
Pasco County Schools’ response to a pandemic or threat of pandemic in general, as
well as the concern currently posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19).  
Most people will lack immunity to a pandemic virus. In general, pandemic illness can be
more severe, causing more deaths, and because it is a new virus, a vaccine may not be
available right away. A pandemic could therefore overwhelm normal operations in
educational settings. 
When a vaccine is not available, Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) are the best
way to help slow the spread. They include personal, community, and environmental
actions. These actions are most effective when used together. NPIs also can provide
protection against other infectious diseases in schools. 
 

 
The purpose of the plan is to provide a framework and guidance for prevention
strategies and communication in response to a pandemic. The plan is based on
recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Florida Department of Health
(FDOH) and the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.  
  
The goals of the Pandemic Plan are to: 
      Provide strategies based on the spread and severity of the illness.   
      Communicate effectively throughout the duration of a pandemic. 
      Limit the spread of infection through good health and hygiene education. 
       Maintain essential functions in the event of a disruption of operations. 
      Support the FDOH-Pasco and Federal Government responses. 
 
Level One - Prevention 
Trigger: Pandemic alert issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). 
District Goals and Response: 
 Supervisor of Health Services to connect and communicate regularly with FDOH-
Pasco Administrative staff regarding illness surveillance.  
 Assistant Superintendent for Support Services will review, revise as
appropriate, approve and oversee implementation of plan. 
 Maintenance Department will identify procedures for Custodial Services cleaning,
make purchases accordingly, and communicate to Plant Managers. 
 Transportation Department will identify procedures for cleaning buses and
transporting students to cluster schools, if needed and communicate to Area
Managers. Transportation will make purchases accordingly. 
 After School Enrichment Programs (ASEP) will identify procedures for before and
after care student contact and communicate to Managers. 
 Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) will identify kitchen sanitation and
safety procedures to prevent the possible spread of viruses and communicate to
Managers. FNS will make purchases accordingly under USDA guidance and
parameters. 
 Supervisor of Health Services will collaborate with FDOH-Pasco regarding
preparation of public service announcements and updates for distribution to
school/site administrators via the Communications Department. 
 Communications Department will develop and disseminate information on
awareness of general precautions and pandemic preparation. The Communications
Department will collaborate with Supervisor of Health Services to update
information via all formats: news releases, social media, video, and parent
notification system and prepare news media releases and talking points for
Superintendent or designee. 
 Communications Department will update district webpage to include current
accurate information(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html)   
 Finance/Payroll will identify policies to continue essential functions. 
 Office of Leading and Learning (OLL), with Chief Academic Officer, will establish
plan to continue to provide educational opportunities for students. 
School Based Administrator Goals and Response: 
 Disseminate information provided by the Communications Department to keep
staff, students and parents well informed and help them understand their roles in
preventing disease spread.   
 Review and inform staff regarding procedures. 
 Confirm food and facility safety regulations in the FNS Manual with FNS
Manager. 
 Update contact information for staff and students. 
 Brief key staff on roles and responsibilities. 
 Confirm with School Clinic that adequate supplies (gloves, tissues, hand
sanitizer, soap) are on hand and make purchases accordingly. 
  Designate a room that can be used to isolate sick students and staff so that well
students can still access school clinic services without risk. 
 Review payroll procedures with appropriate staff. 
Transmission 
The main way that viral illnesses are spread is from person to person by coughs and
sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person
move through the air and make contact with the mouth or nose of people nearby.
Droplets from an infected person can also make contact with environmental surfaces.
The virus can then be spread from those surfaces if a person touches the droplets and
then touches his or her own eyes, mouth, or nose before washing his or her hands.  
 
The virus also can be spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes into his or
her hands and then touches a surface (like a phone, remote control, or toy) before
washing his or her hands. Another person could become sick if he or she touches that
surface and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth, or nose before washing. 
Flu viruses and other germs can survive for a time on hard surfaces like
tables, doorknobs, and desks. Surfaces are likely to be touched much more often than
they can be cleaned and disinfected.  
Thus, it is important to encourage students and staff to practice every day preventative
actions to help spread illness. These measures include:  
 Stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a
fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.  
 Covering your cough and sneeze with tissues. 
 Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 
 Use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not
available. 
 Avoid touching your face. 
 Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects. 
Level Two – Protection – Confirmed case in the United States (not FL) 
Trigger: The WHO or CDC reports a case of human to human transmission within the
United States, but not Florida. 
Preparedness focuses on ongoing actions to protect students, staff, visitors,
community and property from pandemic threat. 
 
Recommendations for Preventing the Spread of Pandemic Illness in Schools.  
The focus should be on keeping sick students, teachers and staff away while they are
infectious and promoting respiratory/cough etiquette and hand hygiene. 
Infection Control Practices 
1. Keep ill persons separate from non-ill persons. 
a. Excuse students, teachers and staff from their duties
if they develop symptoms. 
b. Each school should develop a plan to allow for
coverage when teachers and other staff must be home. 
2. Identify illness early. 
a. Training will be provided for students, teachers,
parents and staff including routes of transmission, signs
 and symptoms, treatment and infection control
strategies. 
 
3. Prevent exposure to student/staff and the spread of disease outside the school
building. 
a. Review extracurricular activities such as sports
events, plays, dances, PTO meetings during
pandemic with the assigned Assistant Superintendent. 
b. Review planned field trips with the assigned Assistant
Superintendent. 
 
4. Encourage the use of infection control measures within the building. 
a. Ensure that hand-washing supplies are available and
a 60-95% alcohol-based hand gel.  
b. Have tissues and trash receptacles available in
classrooms. 
c. Use a Maintenance approved disinfectant to clean
environmental surfaces. 
 
5. Review cleaning procedures with custodial staff.  
6. Absences of 15% over the normal rate should be reported immediately to
the Supervisor of Health Services by e-mail. Supervisor of Health services will
contact FDOH-Pasco Epidemiology to assist with monitoring of absences due to
illness. FDOH-Pasco and Superintendent staff will determine need for school
community notification. School administration should reinforce prevention
strategies. 
7. Post visual alerts on doors advising visitors to not enter a building if ill or report to
the office if they exhibit symptoms of respiratory illness. 
1. Personnel who have recovered from pandemic influenza should develop
protective antibody against future infection with the same virus. These
persons should be well suited to care for others who are infected with
influenza. 
District Goals and Response: 
 Supervisor of Health Services will update the Superintendent or designee,
Assistant Superintendent for Support Services and maintain links with relevant
agencies and community support networks. 
 Heighten awareness and precautionary measures in schools, departments and
school community. 
 Communications Department to update District webpage, social media
and parent notifications. 
 Develop flexible pandemic flu attendance and sick-leave policies for students and
staff, respectively. Staff may need to stay home when they are sick, caring for a sick
household member, or caring for their children in the event of school dismissals.
Identify critical job functions and positions, and plan for alternative coverage by
cross-training staff. 
School Based Administrator Goals and Response: 
  Ensure all contact information is current for staff and students. 
 Provide ongoing briefings for key staff on roles and responsibilities. 
 Remind staff, students and parents about: 
o The importance of monitoring for pandemic specific symptoms and the
importance of good hygiene practices. 
o The importance of staying home when sick. 
 Support school clinic/school nurse surveillance of staff, students, and other
school visitors and personnel to assist FDOH-Pasco in close monitoring of pandemic
cases. Report abnormal rate of absences to Supervisor of Health Services. The
school nurse/clinic assistant should be prepared to provide documentation of ill
students and staff to FDOH-Pasco.  
 Work with FNS Manager to confirm that all food and facility safety regulations are
being followed. 
 Ensure adequate recommended supplies are available (gloves, tissues, masks
(for those who are ill), hand sanitizer, and soap). 
 Staff may need to stay home when they are sick, caring for a sick household
member, or caring for their children in the event of school dismissals. Identify critical
job functions and positions, and plan for alternative coverage by cross-training staff. 
 Prepare isolation room (in addition to school clinic) indicated under
recommendations for infection control. This room will be used to isolate sick
students. 
 Review payroll procedures with appropriate staff. 
 Review OLL plan for continuing educational opportunities and address workforce
concerns with assigned Assistant Superintendent. 
 Send prepared District notices to parents provided via the Communications
Department and/or FDOH-Pasco. 
 Monitor recent domestic and international travel of staff, students and parents. 
 
Level Three - Confirmed case in Florida (not Pasco) 
Trigger: FDOH-Pasco notifies District contact (Supervisor of Health Services) warning
of suspected case(s) of pandemic illness within the State of Florida. 
Taking action to lessen the impact of pandemic; develop capabilities to eliminate
or reduce loss of life. 
District Goals and Response: 
 Supervisor of Health Services will continue to update the Superintendent or
designee, Assistant Superintendent for Support Services and maintain links with
relevant agencies and community support networks. 
 Work closely with FDOH-Pasco to develop a contingency plan if assessing and
managing risks among staff and students is needed (for example, conducting daily
health screenings for flu-like symptoms during a pandemic). 
 Supervisor of Health Services to continue role in local response plans
with FDOH-Pasco. 
 Communications Department to continue to update District webpage, social
media and parent notifications.  
  Superintendent staff will prepare for possible school closure (individual schools,
pockets of schools, or districtwide). Schools to be closed only by specific direction
from the Superintendent or designee. 
 Identify actions to take if district needs to postpone or cancel events, such as
sporting and special events and student and staff travel. Consider limiting access to
school campuses by nonessential visitors, including employee travel among sites. 
 Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, Supervisor of Health
Services and Safety and Security Coordinator to coordinate with EOC. 
 Consider limitations on travel for staff and students. 
 Prepare for another wave of pandemic illness, a few weeks after the first. 
School Based Administrator Goals and Response: 
 Continue to ensure all contact information is current for staff and students. 
 Continue briefings for staff on roles and responsibilities. 
 Continue to ensure all Infection Control Practices (previously described in Level
Two) are being followed. With school nurse assistance, continue surveillance
of staff, students, and other school visitors and personnel to assist the FDOH-
Pasco in close monitoring of pandemic illness. Follow the recommendations for
preventing the spread of pandemic illness in schools and continue to report
abnormal rate of absences to Supervisor of Health Services. 
 Discourage the use of perfect attendance awards. 
 If staff and student absenteeism increases to disruptive levels, consult
with assigned Assistant Superintendent to consider temporarily dismissing classes. 
 Where possible, plan ways to increase the space between people to at least 3 to
6 feet or limit face-to-face contact between people at school. Several ways to do this
include moving desks farther apart, leaving empty seats between students, dividing
classes into smaller groups, holding outdoor classes, and canceling school-related
group meetings and activities. 
 Continue to ensure all food and facility safety administrative regulations are being
followed. 
 Implement isolation room and supplies. Send sick staff home immediately. Send
students who become sick during the school day to a designated isolation room until
they are able to go home. Provide them with clean disposable facemasks to wear
until they can leave. Work with FDOH-Pasco and school nurse to care for those who
become sick. Ask a parent/guardian to pick them up as soon as possible. If needed,
arrange transportation for staff and students who need emergency care. 
 Implement payroll procedures. 
 Review OLL plan for continuing educational opportunities and address work force
concerns with assigned Assistant Superintendent. 
 Send prepared District notices to parents provided by the Communications
Department and/or FDOH-Pasco. 
 Monitor recent domestic and international travel of staff, students and parents. 
 Superintendent or designee approval required for all Out of County travel. 
Level Four –  Confirmed case in Pasco 
Trigger: FDOH-Pasco notifies Pasco County Schools of confirmed case involving
student or employee. 
Stabilize emergency situation once it cannot be prevented; establish safe and
secure environment; facilitate transition to recovery.  
District Goals and Response: 
 Supervisor of Health Services will continue to update Superintendent staff and
maintain links with relevant agencies and community support networks. 
 Supervisor of Health Services to continue role in local response plans with
FDOH-Pasco. 
 Communications Department to continue to update District webpage, social
media and parent notifications. Address the potential fear and anxiety that may
result from rumors or misinformation. 
 Consider providing staff who are at high risk for flu complications with alternative
work arrangements (if possible). 
 Superintendent staff shall prepare for possible school closure (individual schools,
pockets of schools, or districtwide). Schools will be closed only by specific direction
from the Superintendent or designee. 
 Implement alternate ways/plans to educate students. 
 Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, Supervisor of Health
Services and Safety and Security Coordinator to coordinate with EOC. 
 Superintendent staff will consider cancellation of all after school
activities and events. 
 Consider implications and alternatives, if any, for students in
large congregate settings. 
 Prepare for another wave of pandemic illness, a few weeks after the first. 
School Based Administrator Goals and Response: 
 Continue to ensure all contact information is current for staff and students. 
 Continue briefings for staff on roles and responsibilities. 
 Continue to ensure all Infection Control Practices (previously described in Level
Two) are being followed.  
 With school nurse assistance, continue surveillance of staff, students, and other
school visitors and personnel to assist the FDOH-Pasco in close monitoring of
pandemic illness. Follow the recommendations for preventing the spread of
Pandemic illness in schools and continue to report abnormal rate of
absences to Supervisor of Health Services. 
 Send sick staff home immediately. Send students who become sick during the
school day to a designated space away from others (particularly from those who are
at high risk for flu complications) until they are able to go home. Provide them with
clean disposable facemasks to wear until they can leave. Work with your local public
health department and hospital or health center staff to care for those who become
sick. Ask a parent/guardian to pick them up as soon as possible. If needed, arrange
transportation for staff and students who need emergency care. 
 Provide instructions to parents, staff and students about how and when to safely
return to school. 
 Continue to ensure all food and facility safety administrative regulations are being
followed. 
 Implement isolation room and supplies (as noted above).  
 Implement payroll procedures. 
  Implement OLL plan for continuing educational opportunities for students and
addressing work force. 
 Send prepared District notices to parents provided by the Communications
Department and/or FDOH-Pasco. 
 Discourage staff and students from gathering or socializing in other places when
schools are dismissed. They should avoid gathering in places like local restaurants
and shopping malls. 
ALERT: As the scope of the pandemic escalates, State and local officials may choose
to close Pasco County Schools (individual schools, in pockets, or districtwide) either for
short periods or for the duration of the pandemic. 
Prepare for possible school closure: 
 When directed by the Superintendent or Designee to close schools: 
1. Make preparations for securing the premises. 
2. Keep staff, students and parents informed. 
3. Cooperate with FDOH-Pasco if staff/student demographic information is
requested. Make it clear that contact details will only be used for the purpose
of pandemic management. 
4. Provide notification to parents if another location will be available for
students who are not sick. 
5. Post "Closure Notices" on entry points and main buildings. 
6. Collaborate with local agencies through Assistant Superintendent for
Support Services, Supervisor of Health Services, and Safety and Security
Coordinator (EOC Liaison). 
 
Level Five - Recovery 
Trigger: FDOH-Pasco notifies District contact that the pandemic has been abated
in Pasco County and schools can be reopened. 
Develop capabilities necessary to assist schools affected by pandemic in
restoring the learning environment. 
District Goals: 
 Supervisor of Health Services will update the Superintendent staff and maintain
links with relevant agencies and community support networks. 
 Ensure that schools, facilities, and school buses are properly cleaned. 
 Schools/Departments ensure continued well-being of staff and students and
education services are fully restored, recognizing possible work force reduction
impact. 
 Communications Department to update webpage and prepare media
announcement for Superintendent or designee and prepare briefings, emails, social
media posts, parent notifications, and newsletters. 
 Assistant Superintendent for Support Services arranges debriefing for
Administrators and Principals. 
 Student Services to mobilize the Crisis Team, as needed. 
 Superintendent staff, Supervisor of Health Services, will evaluate the success of
the Pandemic Plan and make adjustments. 
School Based Administrators Should: 
  Assess capacity of staff to resume normal school operations: report information
to assigned Assistant Superintendent. 
 Arrange for cleaning, disinfecting of facilities. 
 Prepare for debriefing. 
 Arrange debriefing of pandemic event for staff and students if appropriate. 
 Evaluate the success of the School Pandemic Plan and make adjustments.
Provide suggestions for the District Pandemic