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Schools

Preventing Infectious Diseases in Schools

The daily mix of students and staff in schools provides numerous opportunities for the spread of illness because large groups of people share the same rooms, toys/activities, eating spaces and bathroom facilities. Children are natural explorers of their environments, play closely together and readily share their possessions, food and germs.

Whole School Approaches

A healthy school includes activities that prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases. Consider the following activities as part of your health and well-being action plan:

The health unit continues to encourage all students, staff, and visitors in schools to use personal protective measures to reduce the spread of illness. These include:

  • monitoring for signs and symptoms of illness and staying home for at least 24 hours when sick.
  • wash hands often or use alcohol-based hand rub, if available, and cover coughs and sneezes.
  • know your vaccination status and stay up to date on immunizations.
  • be aware of personal and situational risk factors. Consider adding precautions (wearing a mask, getting vaccinated, maintaining physical distance where possible), as needed.

Download, print and post these resources to encourage regular hand hygiene throughout the school day:

Schools are encouraged to follow infection prevention and control recommendations, in order to help prevent the spread of illness.

School principals are legally required to report suspect or confirmed Diseases of Public Health Significance to their local health unit with the exception of influenza and COVID-19. Reports must be made as soon as possible.

Refer to these requirements and reporting procedures for infectious diseases.

Not all diseases are reportable. This Common Childhood Illness: A Guide for Caregivers includes information about common childhood illnesses, including symptoms, how each disease is spread, the infectious period, and when it is safe to return to school.

Educator and Classroom Resources

Educators play a key role in preventing the spread of common childhood diseases by educating children and their caregivers on infection prevention and control practices. 

  • Bug Out! Get the Facts on Germs (English / French) by Canadian Red Cross – for Kindergarten to Grade 8. Includes activity booklets and corresponding facilitator guides by grade. 

Health Unit Programs and Services 

We offer a variety of services to support student health and infectious diseases, including information related to common childhood illnesses, a list of Diseases of Public Health Significance (formerly reportable diseases) and notification processes, and support with infection prevention and control in schools.

Public Health Inspectors from the health unit’s Infectious Diseases program conduct mandated inspections of all Hairstyling and Aesthetics courses being offered within schools.

School boards and/or schools are asked to notify the health unit when a new hairstyling and aesthetics program is being offered and/or when an existing program is being discontinued.

The GlitterBug Handwashing Kit is an activity based kit for hand hygiene promotion and infection control.

This activity-based resource kit is suggested for Kindergarten to Grade 8. The GlitterBug Handwashing Kit includes a UV light, UV potion, ‘Be A Germ Stopper’ teacher resource manual, student activities and ‘Wash Your Hands’ book. Combined with other school-wide and classroom strategies, it can help to promote hand hygiene and infection control. 

The GlitterBug Handwashing Kit supports the Healthy Living Strand of the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum by addressing expectations under the topic of Human Development and Sexual Health related to hand hygiene and infection prevention & control.

Bring the GlitterBug Kit to Your School 

Schools from Simcoe County District School Board and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board can loan a kit through their school board. Please connect directly with your school board to borrow the GlitterBug Handwashing Kit. 

Schools can also contact our School Health program for consultation to help integrate the GlitterBug Handwashing Kit as a component of a comprehensive approach to supporting student well-being. 

For more information, please contact [email protected].

For Students, Parents and Families

Resources to share with students include: 

Resources to share with parents/families include:

Choose from the sample newsletter inserts below to share with parents/families of elementary school students:

Stay Healthy This School Year!

Respiratory infections can spread easily from person to person. These germs can spread quickly when someone coughs or sneezes directly on another person, or when germs land on hard surfaces like door knobs, desks, and keyboards and then are touched by someone else. These germs can then enter the body through the eyes, nose or mouth.

The most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and stop the spread of germs is wash your hands! Wash with soap and warm running water for at least 15 seconds (or try singing Happy Birthday twice”). If your hands are not visibly dirty you can use alcohol-based hand rub “hand sanitizer” for 15 seconds. Also, make sure you are up to date with your immunizations, cover coughs and sneezes and stay home for at least 24 hours if you are sick. Teach your kids to do the same!

For more tips to keep you and your family healthy this school year, contact Health Connection at 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

If your child is sick

If your child is sick, please keep them home for at least 24 hours. Notify the school that they are absent due to an infectious disease.

The school is required to report some illnesses to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU). The health unit reviews reports of infectious diseases and gives schools additional guidance about communication or infection control, when needed.

The best ways to protect yourself and others is to wash your hands, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, and stay up-to-date with immunizations. For more information contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit at 1-877-721-7520 or visit: www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Choose from the sample newsletter inserts below to share with parents/families of secondary school students:

Stay Healthy This School Year!

Respiratory infections can spread easily from person to person. These germs can spread quickly when someone coughs or sneezes directly on another person, or when germs land on hard surfaces like door knobs, desks, and keyboards and then are touched by someone else. These germs can then enter the body through the eyes, nose or mouth.

The most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and stop the spread of germs is wash your hands! Wash with soap and warm running water for at least 15 seconds (or try singing Happy Birthday twice”). If your hands are not visibly dirty you can use alcohol-based hand rub “hand sanitizer” for 15 seconds. Also, make sure you are up to date with your immunizations, cover coughs and sneezes and stay home for at least 24 hours if you are sick. Teach your kids to do the same!

For more tips to keep you and your family healthy this school year, contact Health Connection at 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

If your teen is sick

If your teen is sick, they need to stay home for at least 24 hours. Notify the school that they are absent due to an infectious disease.

The school is required to report some illnesses to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU). The health unit reviews reports of infectious diseases and gives schools additional guidance about communication or infection control, when needed.

The best ways to protect yourself and others is to wash your hands, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, and stay up-to-date with immunizations. For more information contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit at 1-877-721-7520 or visit: www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

For More information

Infectious diseases fact sheets - the health unit's catalogue of fact sheets on various infectious diseases.
For more information, call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or email [email protected]. 
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