West Alabama schools working to protect students from flu as new semester begins

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Many children return to school Wednesday from the holiday break, including several school systems in west Alabama.

Many steps are being taken to protect students against the flu, beginning with telling students, if they’re sick from the flu with a fever, to stay home.

Employees are doing their part through constant cleaning.

Custodians are focusing on high-traffic areas where there’s a lot of hand contact. That means disinfecting doorknobs and school water fountains.

They’re armed with spray bottles of disinfectant and even handheld sprayers to spread that throughout classrooms easier.

Each Tuscaloosa County School has a nurse, the eyes and ears for the school system.

School nurses can gauge if and how much flu could impact schools.

“Our nurses are observant,” said Tuscaloosa County Schools spokeswoman Terri Brewer. “That’s something they’ve talked about with the new semester, watching for any new trends of classes or schools where there seem to be new cases of illness to treat with special cleaning.

Similar steps are being taken by the Tuscaloosa City School system.

Pickens County Schools posted on its Facebook page a request for families to practice good hygiene habits at home to prevent flu from spreading.

Those include washing your hands, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and clean common surfaces you touch a lot.

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