Info I received from a friend:
“The US Dept. of Education is sponsoring a Web cast/broadcast on pandemic flu for schools on Oct. 17th… The show is available on some stations but I don’t think these are in our area (ie Southern NJ) so the best bet is probably viewing the live or archived Web cast at”:
http://connectlive.com/events/ednews/
general info link http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
Fabulous work Grace RN! Thank you so much for this info. Looking forward to viewing it.
You can be sure that I will be checking into this since I have 3 kids in school! Thanks, as always, Grace for your constant viligance;-)
Okie dokie - uh, that should be vigilance, not viligance (which sounds like something you might get if you have an aversion to villages)
Thank you, GraceRN, I am going to give this info to my adult sib, she thinks I am crazy, maybe some info on the tv will help her realize that I am not just making this up. She will not even read any of the material that I have printed out for her and she will not go to this site either. So, last chance, get her where she does get her info, the tube.
GraceRN ~ This is great, I’ll make sure my superintentdent is informed so we can send out a flyer to the District. My husband can inform his schools too. Thank you so much!
Thank you!
this is great. Thank you for the info. I don’t have kids myself, but will send this out to a lot of friends.
Since most most cable systems carry TLC this may be the time to set for your VCR’s or TIVO’s:
The Learning Channel (TLC)
TLC rebroadcasts Education News on Tuesdays at 4:00 a.m. ET, four weeks after the original airdate. Call 1–800-USA-LEARN for exact times and topics.
this is excellent - i can’t wait to see “how” the cover it.
Let’s all try to remember this one and maybe someone who is more computer savy than I can uplink it once it’s broadcast. I’d love to pass this on the school officials in our area, but don’twant to give them notice unless I know for sure when/where it will be on. Some of our board memebers can hardly turn on a pc let alone surf the web.
(Sure hope it’s not just the “wash your hands and “stay home when sick”, “explain what an antiviral is and what a vaccine is” messages…Sigh)
Grace RN – at 08:27 wrote:
“The US Dept. of Education is sponsoring a Web cast/broadcast on pandemic flu for schools on Oct. 17th… The show is available on some stations but I don’t think these are in our area (ie Southern NJ) so the best bet is probably viewing the live or archived Web cast at”:
http://connectlive.com/events/ednews/
general info link http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
sometimes i think my kid is telepathic as i rarely mention flu to her ever and she’s always bringing it up. this webcast might be a good thing for her viewing, once i give it a watch myself. i don’t really want my daughter to know anything about this potential beyond the germ reason for washing hands alot practice in general, mainly because i feel it’s something for me to worry about, not her.
this will interesting to check-out. thank you.
bump until the 17th!
coming soon!
thank you bump!
bump - don’t forget!
“LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST Tuesday, October 17, 2006
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET”
thanks for the reminder ~crfullmoon
…”Keeping our Children Safe and Secure: Pandemic Flu and Emergency Preparedness - Tuesday, October 17, 2006, Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Description Where To Watch Show Resources
“Pandemic flu doesn’t fit neatly under one governmental department’s responsibility. The fact is it’s all of our responsibility—policymakers, educators, parents, healthcare providers—all of us.” -U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
Scientists predict that the world is due for an influenza pandemic—a global outbreak from a new strain of flu—that would have a dramatic impact on our nation’s communities, schools, and families. History tells us that flu pandemics are a reality: in the past century alone, three of them caused widespread loss of life and the wholesale disruption of societies small and large. A flu outbreak today similar to the one that occurred in 1918 could potentially kill millions and profoundly affect institutions such as our nation’s school systems, which are teeming with children who are expected to have high rates of infection and are more likely than adults to spread the illness.
Although it is difficult to predict when the next pandemic flu might occur or how severe it will be, one thing is certain: educators, parents and community leaders can take steps now to lessen the impact of such an outbreak. Schools can equip themselves to deal with possible school closings, staff and student absences, medical care for children, and the need to maintain the learning environment. Because schools are centers of community life, educators and administrators will need to work with state and local officials to make planning for pandemic flu a priority. And parents can ready their families by developing a family plan, storing food and water, and modeling good hygiene.
The good news is, the U.S. Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies are collaborating with state and local governments to assist districts in developing pandemic flu plans and to ensure that, in the case of an outbreak, our nation’s children will be as safe and secure as possible. As part of an ever-growing conversation about pandemic flu, experts from across the federal government are spotlighting exemplary flu and emergency preparedness programs; answering questions about the different strains of flu and how they spread; updating an emerging body of resources for families and schools; and providing user-friendly tips for parents on ensuring the safety, health and security of children.
The October 17th edition of Education News will explore questions such as:
What are the differences between pandemic, seasonal and bird flu?
What is “H5N1” and why are scientists paying so much attention to it?
What is known about the pandemic flu and the possibility of a future outbreak?
How real is the threat?
What are state, local and federal agencies doing to prepare for the threat of pandemic flu?
How can families prepare now for the threat of a pandemic flu?
What does a “family plan” look like, and how might it be helpful in the event of other emergencies, such as natural disasters?
What kinds of questions should parents ask their children’s schools about their pandemic flu and emergency preparedness plans?
In the event of an outbreak, what measures would schools take, and how would families be notified?
And if schools shut down, how can families ensure that their children keep learning?
Where can families go for updated and helpful resources on the pandemic flu?
Disclaimer: Programs produced by the U.S. Department of Education are in the public domain. Use, duplication, and distribution are free and unrestricted. Thank You!”
ON NOW
If you have dishnetwork, it is on now - on Channel 9411.
If you have dishnetwork, it is on now 8 pm eastern - on Channel 9411.
This guy who is talking actually is getting his facts straight! Even talking about clades!
Is it showing in Kentucky? No.
Can I access it online? No. (The server must be too busy.)
I did order the videotape. Those of you who are able to view the program, please offer your assessments! Our school nurse forwarded the pandemic flu flyers to the entire staff today. If the video is good, I think she’ll use it - I’m hoping some community education will result.
888–493–9382 for questions
So far, they are actually doing a good job. I have had a couple of interruptions, but they are talking in real terms. The only thing they’ve used rose colored glasses on is eating poultry, stating definitively that chicken is completely safe to eat. That’s true today, and may even be true mid-pandemic, but not necessarily true (IMHO) if we get avian flu here in poultry.
The more I watch this, the more pissed I am that our school district has done nothing with the materials I prepared for them. The woman from Seattle that I actually conferred with in preparing the docs is actually a featured speaker on this show. Grrrrr.
They also keep stressing that it is a “bird” flu and not saying anything about the limited H-H-H cases.
Now talking about what parents can do
www.ed.gov for info on school pandemic preparedness.
Overall, a pretty good presentation.
Talking about both physical AND psychological condition of teachers and students post-pandemic. Talking about post traumatic stress disorder. This is sooo refreshing.
They are talking about sending kids home with education packets for “six to eight” weeks.
Now talking about stockpiling at home…
Will they dare talk about more than two weeks?
They had a parent say she is prepping for FOUR weeks! (But they quoted the usual “two weeks.” Win some, lose some.)
It’s over. It was very well done.
The show is going to have a link to the archive, but it will be a while before they get the archive up. I’ll keep checking and post directions to access later.
I had to watch the webcast.Not too bad,like Edna said ,only 2 weeks worth.My son and I watched it .He was glad to know ,we knew more than was presented.I think it should be on ALL local channels once a week.REQUIRED in every classroom.They said there would be mass mailings soon i think.
ALSO mentioned school busses and mobile classrooms?I had to laugh at that!
Edna - please let us know when the archive is up. DH is out of town and I was trying to get all teh little ones to bed! Thanks!
I caught the last half. I look forward to viewing the program when it is archived, but I want a videotape or DVD of the program such that excerpts could be readily shown in an informational meeting.
When the facilitator asked the panelists for one last word to parents about preparing for a pandemic, I kept wanting someone to say, “Do it now!”
If a severe pandemic occurs, what will likely be the impact on everyday life of our students?
“It’s been almost a hundred years since the last pandemic influenza outbreak in the United States.
These events are infrequent, but their impact on our everyday life can be very significant. We should expect disruptions in the way we work, in the way we commute and travel, and in the way we shop. And we should expect some disruption in schooling. One of the important responses to pandemic may be to close schools, and we should be planning for that as well.” --- Hudson La Force, Senior Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Dept of Education
InKy – at 21:14 I caught the last half. I look forward to viewing the program when it is archived, but I want a videotape or DVD of the program such that excerpts could be readily shown in an informational meeting.
InKy, I agree. I am going to order enough copies for everyone on our school board, all three principals, and the school superintendent. Then, I’m going to the next school board meeting, asking the questions one of the speaker recommended all parents ask of the principals, school board, and supers. Then, when they answer, “Duh,” which I know they will cuz I’ve already tried this in less public forums, I’m going to hand them each a copy and go on record about what I’m distributing and make it clear that, post-pandemic, they will be held to account by the townspeople for how they do/don’t prepare on behalf of our children. After receiving a copy of this show, there is no way they claim ignorance of what needs to be done.
LauraB, Still no link on the webcast. I work with webcasts every day, and it usually takes a couple of hours to get the links posted. I will probably (hopefully!) be in bed before that, so I’ll check again first thing in the a.m.
Edna Mode, you said “I am going to order enough copies for everyone on our school board, all three principals, and the school superintendent.” Where/how do you order copies, and how much are they? Thanks for posting on this, I couldn’t get home in time to watch the webcast - caught the last minute only.
(Don’t forget the school checklists http://pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab5.html )
Can you imagine? Dept. of Ed says: “Ask principal” Ok…
Q “Do you have a pandemic influenza plan?”
”Yes. (go away now, please)”
Q”Are you working with other agencies on pandemic preparedness?”
”Yes. (go away now)”
(Webcasts don’t have “cutting room floors”, do they?)
(Q:”Are you going to make sure families know how long a pandemic might last, and start to stock up because federal and state have said, 12 months ago, that our community will have to cope on its own and there won’t be antivirals and vaccines or standard medical care for the public if it starts in the near future?”
”I’ve been following recommendations sent me by people in charge. Info from the Dept.of Ed and the government say, stock up for “two weeks”, (and I won’t disclose what I’ve done for my own family, yet not told the public to do, these past 12 months) (go away now) We’ve been having (secret) planning meetings, no need to panic…Nothing else to say on this; there are plans in place, like we have for any emergency.”)
Maybe I’m having a bad dream; I’ll get some sleep and see how everyone reports back tomorrow.
;-)
I saw it too and phoned in to ask a question. I was put on the line but they didn`t get around to me. I wanted to ask the woman from Fairfax County if they would pro-actively close the schools before kids got sick not after they get sick like they do now. You know if there are signs of flu in the community rather than a 100 kids down sick. By then its already too late. Overall the presentation is very good and I am going to buy one each for the schools my kids go to. Good point about going to the school nurse — I was going to see the principal tomorrow — I will include the school nurse.
can you lend me one copy next week to view while I;m in DC?
The link says they rebroadcast it 4 weeks after on TLC (at 4:00 am!) Let’s keep an eye on local listing to try and catch and tape it - it is a great idea to give to all the school officials you can!
Hi, All,
The archive link is not up as of 7:40 a.m. EST. I have an e-mail into the tech crew to find out when it will be posted. I also cannot find the ordering info for copies. I sent an e-mail on that, too. As soon as I hear anything, I will post it. I recorded the audio off the webcast and will post that if I can get directions from the mods or figure another way around it.
Anon_22, I would be happy to share a copy with you if I have one in time. I’ll let you know.
Other reflections on the program:
Even though they didn’t say prep for 6–8 weeks, they talked about sending kids home with education packets for 6–8 weeks. The message is seeping into official communications. This broadcast wasn’t ideal, but it was one of the most candid, accurate programs I’ve seen yet.
Anon 22 if I get it in time sure.
I followed instructions for ordering a copy (though they were addressed to stations interesting in broadcasting the show) and requested a copy to be sent to our school nurse. I received word today that the Dept. of Education would be glad to send a DVD in about 3 weeks.
Thank you for your interest in Education News Parents Can Use. I will be delighted to send you a DVD copy of yesterday’s program when it becomes available — approximately three weeks after the original broadcast.
On the program description page, follow the “Broadcast Shows” link and look for “Ordering Copies.”
I got the same response, InKY. I’m going to request multiple copies and see if they will send them to me for distribution to school board, etc.
For anyone who would like to listen to the audio I recorded from the webcast, I have managed to post the file to a server that you should all be able to access. This is the first time I’ve done this, so hopefully it will work. Please let me know if it doesn’t. You aren’t losing much by not having the video.
You will need to download the file to your hard drive and then it will open in Windows MediaPlayer.
Download Instructions If the link you want to open does not launch after you click it, try following these steps:
Right click on the link.
Select the “Save Target As…” option.
Specify the location on your hard drive where you want to store the file.
Click the “Save” button.
A download dialog box will display showing you the progress of the download.
When the download is done, the Download Complete dialog box will pop up.
Click the “Open” button to play.
Here’s the link to download: http://tinyurl.com/shogb
The archived video is finally up at the Ed Department site.
So, did this get passed around, so as many school families, know, as possible?
Any response from newbies?
I finally listened to the whole thing.
Did the CDC guy actually say that the current fatality rate for H5N1 was over 50% — and just leave it at that? I.E. no “But of course we expect that to come down.”
On the other hand, no one seemed very bothered by what he said. the callers certinaly didn’t wonder about it.
Its the same old crap, two weeks of supplies and wash your hands. What worthless garbage. LOL I am listening to it as I type this and some woman just asked how do we tell the kids without frightening them. THIS is what people are worried about? People need to grasp that this is right up there with nuclear war as how scary it will be. If its not frightening your not grasping what will happen.
Hi, Everyone,
He did say 50% and leave it at that. The callers all seemed like newbies. I doubt they even understood the reference. And the people who were on the panel already have had their adjustment reaction to that little tidbit.
I don’t know about it getting circulated around. It’s an obscure program on an obscure site and gets replayed on mainstream channels in the middle of the night.
I plan to circulate it broadly, however. I have requested 10 copies to present on the record at public meeting to our school board members, school super, and principals. I also am in e-mail contact with the producer who has offered to hook me up with the CDC rep in my area so we can co-organize a district (maybe regional so other districts can participate) meeting to get school planning underway. Hopefully that will go somewhere!
Annoyed Max, I don’t think it is the same old crap. One prepper talked about getting ready for four weeks. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that get into Big Brother’s spin. Not enough by our measures, but still more than two weeks. Yes, they put in the standard two week blurb, but almost as an afterthought and skimmed over it. Then there were a lot of things discussed about sending kids home with 6–8 weeks worth of school work. Not sure if you have kids, but no, we don’t need to scare the piss out of our kids. It’s enough that the parents get it. The language and frankness of this show did not scare me. It made me happy that someone is finally taking the lead to get schools motivated.
As for no one seeming very bothered, I used to work on a television production crew. The environment in that studio was, I’m sure, so weird and constrained and people probably felt they needed to be “proper.” Whether it was that or the fact that stuff just hadn’t sunk in, who knows?
“I don’t know about it getting circulated around”
Well, ;-) there’s always our email address books, (if anyone we know opens our emails anymore…sigh) or, school website’s PTO contact addresses… or, email city managers, emergency management departments, health departments; show ‘em what the Dept of Ed. made for the public. Our tax dollars at work…
crfullmoon – at 17:31
Yes. I have a link to the audio on my Web site and have been directing people to it.
bump
I thought the language and information presented in the webcast (especially from the CDC speaker) was a small but significant change from past rhetoric. I do recall some theory that they way to get information out to the punlic would be “through the kids”. The message “your kids may have to be out of school for 6 to 8 weeks” is a HUGE one and much different from any message I have heard elsewhere (by the feds.) Teachers (if they listen to this webcast) will also hear that and start thinking.
The overall message of this webcast to me seemed to be: “Pandemic flu is something legitimate to think about” you know what I mean? After watching the webcast, with all the important speakers from actual, reputable agencies, a skeptic couldn’t really say, “This is all a hoax.”
It seems smart to start announcing to the general public that the federal government thinks pandmic flu could be a big issue through the Dept. of Education. It’s kind of a “soft sell”. If people hear this webcast, they will start thinking. Parents will start thinking (6 to 8 weeks, daycare issues) and teachers will start thinking (6 to 8 weeks of lesson plans, are they out of their minds???)
But I agree that few will watch this video. Unless the school superintendants send it out and mandate that it be shown at back to school nights, PTA meetings, and staff development meetings and inservices.
I sent links to all my teacher friends, but to be honest, they see “bird flu” as a health issue, not a school issue, and unless it is written about in the health section of the newspaper (or their doctors tell them about it) they really won’t pay attention. I doubt any one of them opened the web link. If they did, they certainly didn’t tell me about it (and I asked for feedback.) They certainly would listen if it was shown by their principals at a staff meeting, though.
ALso, check out some comments by princiapl Prepperbabe on Schools II — she got an interesting email last week from the Dept of Ed.